United Nations Children's Fund Committee

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is a humanitarian and development agency that works towards defending rights for every child around the globe. These rights include having safe shelter, protection, education, nutrition, clean water, and health care. UNICEF has a global presence and collaborates with leaders and policy makers to help all children, especially those who are disadvantaged.

At the 2017 Hofstra Model United Nations Conference, delegates to the UNICEF committee will operate as a United Nations General Assembly Committee and tackle two critical issues: childhood malnutrition and education for students with disabilities. Almost half of all deaths in children under the age of five are caused by undernutrition, translating into the tragic loss of about three million children a year. UNICEF needs to look for ways to make people in countries more aware of nutrition guidelines and make sure every child has access to proper nutrition. The second issue stems from the fact that children with disabilities face many forms of discrimination, which causes them to be excluded from society and school. UNICEF needs to look for ways that students with disabilities can be included in the classroom, as well as ways to prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities. Improving the education for students with disabilities would improve the overall education available around the world.

Rebecca Gleeson