EU Nobel Peace Prize award to help build foundation of peace for children UNICEF among five agencies to benefit

PakistanBRUSSELS/New York, 18 December 2012 – The decision by the European Union (EU) to give a portion of the Nobel Prize award to UNICEF, means that more children in Pakistan will have better chance at education and learning.

UNICEF is among five humanitarian organizations to receive funds for programming in complex emergencies from the EU which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 2012. 

The EU also announced that in addition to its prize money of €930,000 ($1.2 million), it will top up its donation to a total of €2 million for education in emergencies projects towards the EU Children of Peace initiative.

“We are honored and grateful to the EU – not for UNICEF itself, but for the children we serve,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director.

Complex emergencies can have a deep and lasting effect on children – physically, psychologically and emotionally. Education helps children learn skills to develop values and attitudes that prevent conflict and build peace.

The funds will benefit 3,000 Pakistani children from 3-9 years old in 30 camp schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The education packages for the displaced include school-in-a-box supplies,  training for teachers, education for peace training and psychosocial counseling that will help children cope with traumatic experiences.

UNICEF congratulates the other recipients of the financial award:  the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, UNHCR, Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council. 

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Funded by the European Union: Nobel Peace Laureate of 2012.


About UNICEF

UNICEF works in 190 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. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

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For more information, please contact:

Sarah Crowe, UNICEF Senior Media Adviser, New York, Tel +1 212 326 72 06,

[email protected]

Marie-France Bourgeois, UNICEF Brussels EU Office, Tel +32 2 505 01 03, [email protected]

Patrick McCormick, UNICEF Geneva, Tel +41 22 909 5713,

[email protected]

Kristen Elsby, UNICEF Pakistan Country Office, Tel +92 51 209 7810,

[email protected]