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UNICEF Milestones
1967-1976
1946-1956
1957-1966 1967-1976
1977-1986
1987-1996 1997-2004
see also
Thematic Overview
|
Year |
Notes |
|
1967 |
Executive Board reviews strategies,
criteria and priorities to be followed for the best use of UNICEF
aid, reaffirming and refining policies approved in 1961:
UNICEF can help governments to establish
priorities for children and will support whatever is mutually agreed
to be the best possible action to achieve them.
“Country approach” is emphasized. The goal is to move away from
individual projects, as separate entities, to more comprehensive
services for children forming an integral part of national
development efforts. Emphasis is placed on need for innovative
approaches to solving problems, new ways of training, and greater
attention to eliciting local support.
The Board approves aid for family planning within the context of
maternal and child health services. |
|
1968 |
Executive Board reviews aid for
education; agrees that UNICEF should continue to support strategic
aspects of education programmes - teacher training, modernization of
school curricula, emphasis on practical subjects such as science,
vocationally-oriented studies, health, nutrition.
Aid is provided to mothers and children on both sides of the
conflict in Nigeria and is approved for both sides in the Viet Nam
conflict - as part of UNICEF’s philosophy of aiding all children in
need, regardless of politics, creed, national origin, etc.
UNICEF and WHO introduce oral rehydration therapy (ORT) in
1968, a simple solution of sugar, salt and water to treat diarrhoeal
dehydration. By 2000 one million children in developing countries
are being saved each year by ORT. |
|
1969 |
For the first time Executive Board
meets in Latin America - in Santiago - and holds a special meeting
on the situation of Latin American children. Decides to seek
contributions from governments for specific purposes in addition to
contributions to general resources. |
|
1970 |
UNICEF’s annual income is now $59.4
million - exceeding the $50 million target set in 1966. Target of
$100 million is set for 1975, Guidelines are established for
allocation of UNICEF aid; the purpose is to give more to projects in
the neediest countries.
Assessment is made of projects for education and training of women
and girls for family and community life. |
|
1971 |
Executive Board decides that increased
efforts must be made to encourage deployment of financial support
from multilateral and bilateral sources to benefit children.
Special forma of aid for services benefiting children in urban slums
and shanty towns are approved. |
|
1972 |
Kurt Waldheim
(Austria) takes office as
Secretary- General of UN, serving until December 1981.
Training of national auxiliary and para-professional personnel continues to be a major element in
UNICEF aid with some 220,000 persons receiving training stipends. In
addition, many thousands more benefit from material aid provided by
UNICEF to training centres and institutions.
Increased emphasis is now given to responsible parenthood and family
planning as a component of various health and social services.
Board adopts new policy guidelines for aid to education, with
concentration on educationally deprived children of primacy school
age, young adolescents who have missed schooling, education of
girls, use of schools for health and nutrition education, education
of parents in child rearing. |
|
1973 |
UNICEF decides to expand aid for
non-formal education (outside regular school programmes),
particularly for rural children and youth with emphasis on the
basics of literacy and numeracy as well as skills and knowledge.
UNICEF is now assisting some 70 countries with village water
supplies; the purpose is to reduce child illness and death, and to
lessen drudgery of mothers, improve quality of life in villages,
encourage self-help community efforts.
UNICEF begins help for prevention of blindness in young children,
through large doses of vitamin A.
Participation by UNICEF in UNDP country programming exercises
provides new opportunities to promote systematic action in national
development efforts to meet needs of children. |
|
1974 |
Executive Board, concerned with
serious threat to millions of children adversely affected by world
economic crisis, inflation, natural disasters and scarcity of food,
issues a “Declaration of Emergency" . Special efforts are authorized
for children’s services in least developed countries and in
countries “most severely affected”.
Board reviews efforts to give special attention to the young child
(up to approximately six years of age) and agrees that emphasis
should be on reaching the child by extending existing channels,
including indirect services through mothers, families and
communities.
First annual UNICEF pledging conference at which governments
announce contributions for following year, is held in November. |
|
1975 |
Executive Board appeals to special
session of the United Nations General Assembly to encourage action
to meet deteriorating situation of children in many countries.
UNICEF joins with WHO in approving a new strategy of assistance to
primary health services to bring care to now largely unserved
mothers and children and decides to strengthen action for more
effective work to improve child nutrition.
Board approves an “advocacy-oriented” information policy designed to
make public opinion, in both industrialized and developing
countries, more responsive to action to meet children’s needs.
International Women’s Year accelerates UNICEF’s emphasis on
programmes benefiting women and girls.
Following administrative survey, Board endorses Executive Director’s
plans to strengthen the organization’s management.
UNICEF annual revenue now reaches a record level of $141 million;
(but this is only a 7 per cent increase over 1974 revenues in real
terms). |
|
1976 |
Worst aspects of depression and its
effect on children appear to be receding, but poorest countries
continue to suffer from major economic changes. They need augmented
assistance to help meet the
“quiet emergency” daily facing millions of children.
Board approves a goal of $200 million annual revenue. Economic and
Social Council endorses this and recommends that United Nations
General Assembly urge both developing and developed countries and
the international community to support basic services for children.
Emphasis is on extending the network of core services already
developed in most countries to benefit the large number of their
children now unserved.
Economic and Social Council recommends that the General Assembly
proclaims 1979 as the “International Year of the Child”.
More than 100 non-governmental organizations now have consultative
status with UNICEF. The Executive Board reviews ways in which UNICEF
and the 30 National Committees for UNICEF can co-operate more
effectively to serve children of developing countries. |
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