The 2024 1st Regular Session of the UNICEF Executive Board meets in New York from February 6 to 8.
2023 was the year in which, the Hellenic Republic had the privilege to serve as a member of UNICEF’s Executive Board. Addressing the Session on February 7, the Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations was given the opportunity to provide the Board with an update on UNICEF’s humanitarian action that Greece was able to support and contribute during 2023.
Throughout the decades since the establishment of UNICEF, Greece has had a long-standing cooperation with the Fund and in 2020, relations were further enhanced with the launching of a UNICEF Country Office in Athens, meticulously implementing the 1st UNICEF Country Program for Greece with a time framework that stretches through 2026. At the same time, Greece remains a staunch supporter of UNICEF’s programs worldwide.
In 2022 the focus was shifted towards the war-torn children in Ukraine, as well as those in the protracted Syrian conflict. In 2023, Greece’s support turned towards UNICEF’s efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, while the latest financial contribution to the Humanitarian Action for Children in 2024 will be channeled to Haiti, helping UNICEF to reach the most vulnerable, crisis-affected children of the country.
As a candidate member state for the United Nations Security Council for the biennium 2025/26, Greece aims to further enhance its advocacy for the Protection of the Rights of the Child. To this end, the Hellenic Republic has included the ‘Children in Armed Conflict’ agenda as one of its main priorities, aspiring to promote its principled position of protecting and promoting children’s rights, eliminating all forms of violence and abuse against them.