Statement on Child Refugees, Attributable to Caryl M. Stern, President & CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF

NEW YORK (January 30, 2017) – The U.S. Fund for UNICEF recognizes that the needs of refugees have never been greater. Worldwide 28 million children have been uprooted by conflict, driven from their homes by violence and terror. We should not simply see them as refugees or migrants, but as CHILDREN FIRST. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

The United States has a long and proud tradition of protecting children fleeing war and persecution.  Children bear no responsibility for the growing political differences in our world. We trust that the United States’ historical support of children will continue and that recent measures will prove to be temporary. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF will continue to work with our partners across the country on behalf of migrant and refugee children already settled here in the United States. 

UNICEF is committed to its mission and will work relentlessly until all children – especially those affected by the current crises – are afforded the childhood we would want for our own children.

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information, contact:
Sophie Aziakou, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 917.720.1397, saziakou@unicefusa.org