UNICEF and the European Commission – Partners for Children

Commissioner Georgieva with UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake, during a visit to the European Commission © EUNew York, 11 September 2012 – European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, addressed the Executive Board of UNICEF today.

In her speech she emphasised the importance of continuity in UNICEF’s activities supporting children in dangerous situations across the world, and assured that, despite the economic challenges, the European Commission would continue to prioritise funding for children in humanitarian emergencies.

Following her address, the Commissioner was given a tour of the operational centre of UNICEF’s Office for Emergency Operations, and, together with the Executive Director of UNICEF, Anthony Lake, launched a new UNICEF-EU web portal showcasing the partnership between the organisations.

The European Commission is one of UNICEF’s key partners working together in 27 countries affected by emergencies or in post-crisis reconstruction. Their partnership goes back two decades, starting in 1992. Last year the Commission provided more than €70 million to UNICEF for its humanitarian work worldwide. “Thanks to our working together these last twenty years the lives of millions of children around the world have been saved while the health and well-being of many more have been improved,” said Ms. Georgieva.

In the past week, the European Commission and UNICEF signed the following three funding agreements:

• for the Ivory Coast, in the hardest hit areas, €6.4 million will go to health clinics and purchasing medicines to treat children under five for life-threatening diseases such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria;
• in Niger, €600,000 for the emergency treatment of cholera;
• Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda will receive €750,000 to mitigate disasters for children.

Source: UNICEF’s Press Release

Useful links:

Commissioner Georgieva’s address to the Executive Board of UNICEF
New UNICEF-EU partnership web portal
Commissioner Georgieva’s website
UNICEF’s website

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