UN International Children's Emergency Fund
Agenda - Ensuring Access to Education for Marginalized Children.
UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs, and to expand opportunities to reach their full potential, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help Member States, particularly developing Member States, ensure a "first call for children" and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. Article 26 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states, “Everyone has the right to education”. However, globally, 262 million children and adolescents do not have the opportunity to enter or complete school. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4— Quality Education—national and local governments must accelerate action plans to close the access gaps and ensure all children are in school, with a focus on marginalized children and children in emergency settings. UNICEF’s own goal “Every Child Learns” is fully aligned with SDG 4 and other education-related targets which seek to ensure that this applies in all contexts, including humanitarian crises and in developing Member States, regardless of wealth, location, gender, disability, migration status, language, or minority status.