In the late 1990's, UNICEF began to document and record the personal experience of a few pivotal UNICEF staff involved in the World Summit for Children -- known as the Oral History Project -- both for the historical record and to provide lessons learned for future initiatives. In the fall of 2001, the project rapidly expanded to interview individuals who could convey the story behind the events surrounding the Special Session on Children, enlivened by personal perspective. The initial oral interviews were sent out for transcription, then reviewed by both the oral historian and the interviewee in an on-going editorial process that will continue until eventual publication. To date numerous interviews have been completed with members of the Bureau, government representatives, NGOs, and headquarters staff, selections of which appear below. They comprise a rich and varied response to the challenges posed by the World Summit and Special Session and give a background context for these important milestone in UNICEF's history.

NEW - UNICEF History Papers

UNICEF in Bellagio: A Memoir Dr. Herman Stein The Bellagio Conference was a turning point in UNICEF's history, when it emerged as an empowered international agency functioning with growing independence from the other UN entities. The Bellagio Conference also  brought child welfare issues into national policy agendas for the first time, critically influencing UNICEF's expanding mandate up until the present day. Includes introduction by Deputy Executive Director Kul Gautam

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