UNICEF Mission Statement
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly 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 by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives
to establish children’s
rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of
behaviour towards children.
We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of
human progress.
UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to
overcome the obstacles
that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path.
We believe that we
can, together, advance the cause of humanity.
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
Background
For over thirty years, UNICEF has been working with the Lao PDR to improve the lives of children and young
people. The organisation's first office in Vientiane was opened in 1973, and the signing of the first Basic
Agreement with the Government took place in 1981. In 1990, the Government signed the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The following year, it ratified the Convention on
the Rights of the Child.
A National Commission for Mothers and Children (NCMC) was established in 1992 to monitor the implementation
of the provisions of the CRC and the National Programmes of Action for Children. Provincial, district and
village commissions for mothers and children were established in 1993.
Currently, UNICEF Lao PDR employs around 60 national and international
staff.
UNICEF Programmes in the Lao PDR
UNICEF's 2007-2011 Country Programme consists of the following :
BASIC EDUCATION AND GENDER EQUALITY
- Reforming the education sector
- Developing child friendly schools
- Expanding learning opportunities
Young Child Survival and Development
- Child survival and health sector reform
- Improving nutrition for women and children
- Community action for early childhood development
Water , Sanitation and Hygiene
- In schools
- In rural communities
- Nationwide planning, monitoring and sustainability
Child protection
- Legal protection and justice for children
Improving community-based responses for child protection
Promoting action for child protection
HIV/AIDS and children
- Prevention among children and young people
- Preventing mother to child transmission
- Care and support
Policy , advocacy and comunication
- Child rights monitoring and policy analysis
- Child rights advocacy
- Social mobilization and behaviour change communication
- Media and external relations
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