Soliloquy on a Postage Stamp - Politicians, Scientists, Thespians With Ties to UNICEF - Part I: Fouad Kronfol

Over its 75 year history UNICEF and its activities have been affected by the work and contributions of many illustrious world personalities. These relations have been both direct and indirect, and have included well known politicians, Nobel Prize winning scientists and physicians as well as many stars of stage and screen. To honour these persons many countries have issued philatelic materials over time. 

This week I feature a sampling on Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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Photo 2894: Eleanor Roosevelt was well known as the wife of US President Franklin Roosevelt, who brought the country back from the Great Depression and managed it through the Second World War .Many stamps were issued by quite a few countries to honour Mrs. Roosevelt. who was very active in many areas in her own right, and especially as regards the United Nations. Here we have a 5 cent US stamp with her portrait . It is post marked in Los Angeles in 1964.

Photo 2898: This is another portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt, a 20 cent stamp issued by the US Postal Services on 11 October 1984. It is recalled that she was very active as the leader of the US Delegation to UNICEF's Executive Board. When the newly established UNICEF was ending its first years of work helping children affected by the wars in Europe and China; Eleanor Roosevelt had proposed that the Fund be discontinued and UNICEF close its activities. A major discussion in the Executive Board ensued that finally prolonged UNICEF's life and gave it a mandate to assist children in the developing countries.The chief defender of the continuation of UNICEF work with a focus on developing countries was the Pakistani delegate Bokhari.....see below.

Photo 2899 : One of Eleanor Roosevelt's best known actions is her championing the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.She was deeply involved in the drafting of this iconic document and worked tiredlessly to ensure its passage through the UN General Assembly in 1948. This Declaration was the precursor, in many ways, of the 1959 UN Declaration on Child Rights which in turn was the predecessor of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) which became such an important ideological and advocacy instrument for UNICEF to this day. Here we have a stamp issued by India picturing Mrs. Roosevelt with the inscription reading " Universal Declaration of Human Rights and 15th Anniversary , 10th December 1963.

Photo 2900: From Colombia we have this airmail stamp commemorating Eleanor Roosevelt as well as the 15th. Anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration. The inscription in Spanish reads, " Homage to the Humanitarian Work of the American Lady" and the dates of her life,1884-1962.

Photo 2918: From my stamp album we have this photograph of Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt holding the printed version of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights after its promulgation by the General Assembly. The photo was taken in 1949 at Lake Success, NY. which was the temporary HQ of the UN until the completion of the UN Building on the East River in Manhattan.



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Fouad