United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Mandate
UNICEF’s mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided in doing this by the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In Kosovo since: UNICEF first established a presence in Pristina in November 1995. In October 1997, UNICEF prepared an Emergency Contingency Plan for Kosovo in recognition of the fact that the political and security situation was seriously deteriorating and that large numbers of women and children could soon be in need of assistance. Following the Kosovo emergency in 1999, UNICEF estimated that as many as half a million children required immediate intervention having either fled or been deported from their homes and separated from family members and friends. The UNICEF Offices in Macedonia and Albania provided humanitarian assistance to the displaced women and children from Kosovo. Through the United Nations Consolidated Appeals for Kosovo, UNICEF raised a total of US $60 million for its emergency programmes from mid-1999 to the end of 2001.
At a glance:
- Through its programme cycle 2004– 2009, UNICEF contributes to Kosovo’s progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by improving the situation of all children in Kosovo.
- UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Health in mother and child health related policies, standards and quality of care, and works with other technical working groups and professional associations to improve the mother and child health in Kosovo, contributing at the same time to achievement of MDG 4 and 5.
- UNICEF and its partners reach most of the households with its Better Parenting Initiative, a social mobilization and mass media campaign which provides practical information and education for parents from all communities on how to provide better care, and stimulate development at early childhood. The aim of the campaign is also to reduce the high infant mortality rates in Kosovo.
- Education for all (MDG2) – is one of UNICEF’s most important focus areas worldwide. In Kosovo, UNICEF is concerned with the quality of education and the lack of access to primary education for girls, especially from the Roma, Ashkalia and Egyptian communities. During 2007 thanks to the mobilizing efforts of UNICEF and local partners such as associations of parents, teachers, NGOs and education authorities, hundreds of children from these communities were back in primary schools.
- UNICEF supports the Ministry of Education Science and Technology to develop inclusive education policies, for children with disabilities.
- UNICEF supports delivery of innovative forms of early childhood education in the most remote areas through municipal authorities.
- UNICEF develops outreach materials for the popular TV Programme for children ‘Rruga Sesam/Ulica Sezam’ which brings education to some 40,000 of the youngest in Kosovo. UNICEF also provides literacy classes for women who never had the chance to go to school in rural areas in 23 municipalities, contributing to progress towards MDG 3.
- Health services, education, employment and participation opportunities for the majority of the young population in Kosovo remain very poor. In this regard UNICEF supported the development of the Kosovo Youth Action Plan. With UNICEF’s technical assistance, for the first time Kosovo institutions managed to get $ 6,6 million over the next five years from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to strengthen HIV/AIDS response, supporting the achievement of MDG 6.
Children have the right to be treated with dignity, therefore UNICEF supports the development of justice system for children in conflict with the law, based on international and European standards and introduced a programme to prevent child delinquency.
- UNICEF supports Kosovo institutions to fill in the data vacuum related to the situation of children. It initiated a comprehensive study to analyse the Situation of Chldren and Young People in Kosovo, a Study on Child Poverty, Children in the Justice system, a Survey on Birth Registration, a study on Vocational Training and Job Opportunities for Rural Women, etc.
- UNICEF’s work has a special focus on the most excluded and vulnerable children in Kosovo. In this regard, it offers education and health services for displaced Roma families who do not have access to basic social services in Mitrovica region.
Mr. Robert Fuderich, Head of UNICEF Kosovo says We hope that the Kosovo Government will continue to commit political will and increase the allocation of budgetary resources in all sectors relevant to children, UNICEF will continue to provide expertise and help Kosovo institutions identify and deliver services to the most poor and marginalized children, and ensure that issues concerning children are included in the broader development agenda for Kosovo.
Lidija, a 9 years old girl at UNICEF supported education project for children at Osterode, Mitrovica.
Copyright UNICEF/SNettleton
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
Contact:
UNICEF office
Ms. Arbena Kuriu
Tel: +381 (0) 38 249 230/231
Fax: +381 (0) 38 249 234
Address: Ali Pashe Tepelena
10000 Pristina, Kosovo
Email: akuriu@unicef.org
Web: www.unicef.org/kosovo