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Our mandate

Our mandate: no child left behind

A young girl participates in a global summit at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 20 November 2019, joining children and young people from all over the world in demanding action to protect and promote child rights.

UNICEF has a mandate to uphold the rights of all children. We work to ensure every child is protected, healthy and educated, focusing on the children left behind by wider economic and social progress.

UNICEF’s mandate is part of the larger mission of the United Nations. The United Nations was founded in 1945.  It is currently made up of 193 Member States. The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and principles contained in its founding Charter. The UN system, also known unofficially as the 'UN family', is made up of the UN itself and many programmes, funds, and specialized agencies, all with their own leadership and budget (WHO, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHCR, ILO, UNEP, IOM, etc.).

UNICEF stands for the United Nations Children’s Fund and currently works in 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

UNICEF has a mandate to safeguard the rights of all children, everywhere. That mandate is rooted in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which sets out universal and indivisible rights that apply to every child. UNICEF's mandate is also shaped by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2015, which apply to every country.

In Greece, UNICEF works closely with the Greek State to support state and independent institutions that have a role in ensuring all two million children in the country can fully enjoy their rights. Our work as of today emphases on issues including foster care and deinstitutionalization, inclusive education, and youth skills and employability, as well as exploring options to ensure the availability of increased financing for children in the years ahead. Our interventions have a special focus on children with disabilities, youth and adolescents, Roma children and refugee and migrant children, aiming to strengthen national capacity and promote inclusion, participation, access to services and equal opportunities for all children in the country.

Our office is working closely with a network of Ministries, local authorities, institutions, academia, municipalities, the private sector, children and youth, building a national alliance that promotes the rights of children in all aspects of life and society.

A message for every child.

UNICEF Greece This is a message for every child. Wherever she or he is. For each obstacle small or large. For every fear you overcame. For every time you fought it alone. For every kilometer you traveled on land or sea. For all your rights that have been violated. For every dream, goal and hope. For a better future. For every corner of the globe. For a world that respects and listens to you. We are here. In Greece and in 191 countries around the world.