Ushering in the Child Rights Era: Carol Bellamy

 Ushering in the Child Rights Era

By Carol Bellamy

I was very honored to be able to serve as UNICEF Executive Director from 1995-2005 - two full terms. During that time, with the magnificent UNICEF staff, we led UNICEF through historic challenges and events like the first ever United Nations Special Session on children, the 1995 Beijing Women’s meeting, the September 11th events, conflicts in virtually every continent, the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-saharan Africa, and the epic 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

We ushered in the child rights era, helping UNICEF continue its leadership on child survival, but integrating rights throughout its programming and advocacy — we gave children a voice.

UNICEF contributed extensively to the UN Millennium Development Goals. The UNICEF budget grew dramatically, and we supported UNICEF National Committees to expand their fundraising and advocacy and celebrated 50 years of Goodwill Ambassadors.

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