Founding of UNICEF

UNICEF was created by the United Nations General Assembly as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, to provide food, clothing and health care to children in Europe whose lives had been devastated by the Second World War. The Polish physician Ludwik Rajchman was a key figure in its creation, and the American Maurice Pate was its first executive director. In 1953 it became a permanent part of the UN system, and its work was extended to children in developing countries, with the name shortened to United Nations Children's Fund while keeping the original acronym. Headquartered in New York, UNICEF runs programmes in vaccination, nutrition, clean water and education, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965.

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