United Nations Children's Fund

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is the United Nations agency for children. Founded in 1946, it works to save children's lives, defend their rights and help them fulfil their potential. Its mandate spans child protection, education, public health and emergency relief, and it operates in more than 190 countries and territories. The organisation traces its origins to emergency relief for children in post-war Europe and China.

Its programmes include immunization and disease prevention, HIV prevention and treatment for mothers and children, child protection, education initiatives and humanitarian response. Child protection work - defending children's rights and shielding them from harm - and the organisation's engagement with governments, non-governmental bodies and communities give its operations a significant legal and policy dimension, relevant to practitioners in international law, human rights and humanitarian law.

UNICEF describes a shared commitment to equity and child rights, with a focus on reaching the most disadvantaged and hardest-to-reach children. Staff work in some of the world's most difficult settings, alongside partners at national and local level. The organisation states that it offers competitive compensation, benefits, and opportunities for learning and development, within a diverse and inclusive environment.