In 1946, UNICEF was founded to provide emergency relief to children in the aftermath of World War II. Now 75 years later, UNICEF has continued working tirelessly for the rights and well-being of every child. Whoever they are. Wherever they live. “UNICEF was created during a time of great global strife and now, 75 years on, we find ourselves in a new global crisis with the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to roll back years of progress that we have fought for our children since our office was first founded in 1973,” stated Dr. Pia Rebello Britto, UNICEF Representative to the Lao PDR. “As such, UNICEF’s 75th anniversary is both a time to reflect on our legacy, and also a time to call to action and to renew our commitment to help children, their families and the systems they rely upon to re-emerge stronger from this crisis. We will continue to deliver results for every child and adolescent and ensure that no one is left behind.”
UNICEF’s 75th anniversary coincides also with the launch of a new country programme document 2022-2026 between the Government of the Lao PDR and UNICEF, which articulates a vision and achievable goals for the children of the Lao PDR and sets out a framework of cooperation between the two parties in the next five years. UNICEF’s work with the Government of the Lao PDR in the coming years will see greater shift towards equity driven approaches to leave no child behind, systems strengthening to improve child-related services and a much greater focus on giving opportunities for children and youth to participate in building a post-pandemic Lao PDR, with a prioritization of climate action, which has been identified as one of the most pressing issues affecting the rights and wellbeing of the new generation.
In addition, UNICEF Lao PDR has taken part in a regional initiative, the Wisdom Project, which includes a series of photo stories bringing together the older and younger generations in order to tell a special story.
UNICEF’s 75th anniversary celebration in the Lao PDR will culminate in the Lao Youth Talks, which is a series of talks by several talented Lao youth on a range of topics most important to them, ranging from mental health to climate change. The talks will be held in January 2022 by UNICEF in partnership with the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union, the National University of Laos, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, ChildFund and Global Shapers.
Source: Lao News Agency