UNICEF, UNFPA - Current Affairs Questions and Answers

ANSWER: Lilly Singh

Explanation:
UNICEF on July 16 2017 appointed Indian-origin Canadian YouTube star Lilly Singh as its newest Global Goodwill Ambassador at a special event here.

Lilly was in the capital to support UNICEF’s Youth4Change initiative, a programme for youth that brings them together to support their peers and communities.

She will encourage communities in taking action on issues such as health, hygiene, child labour and gender equality.

The YouTuber, famous as ‘Superwoman’, said she would come up with few videos in Hindi and would try to put Hindi subtitles in her English videos to increase the reach of her vlogs and channel.

As the UNICEF ambassador Lilly, who has 11.9 around million subscribers on the video sharing website, will use her channel to showcase the organisation’s work.

She will also urge millions of her followers to work for children’s rights.

The 28-year-old star has also started a new initiative on social media - #GirlLove - which aims to end girl-on-girl hate.

ANSWER: Sachin Tendulkar

Explanation:
Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar will be joining the likes of Noval Djokovic and David Beckham for a United Nations campaign/initiative titled Super Dads.

The UNICEF initiative Super Dad highlights the critical role played by fathers in children’s early development.

The initiative that was launched on 6 June 2017, few days ahead of the Father’s Day (18 June), will celebrate fatherhood by highlighting the importance of love, play, protection and good nutrition for the healthy development of young children’s brains.

Other participants of the Super Dads campaign include Mahershala Ali, the All Blacks, Daniel Cormier, Lewis Hamilton, Hugh Jackman, Thalía and Chris Weidman.

The Super Dads campaign that will have stars from entertainment to sports as its participant is a part of a larger campaign called #EarlyMomentsMatter.

The campaign aims to bring awareness to the significance of early childhood experiences on a child’s future.

The campaign/initiative invites families to post photos and videos of what it takes to be ‘super dads,’ using the hashtag #EarlyMomentsMatter on their Instagram and Twitter accounts.

All photo and video submissions to the Super Dads initiative will feature on the #EarlyMomentsMatter gallery.

UNICEF will select the most heart-warming, humorous, and imaginative photo and video submissions post them on the organisation’s own digital platforms.

ANSWER: 5

Explanation:
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on 18 May 2017 announced that the number of children travelling alone has increased five times since 2010.

In addition, the agency also warned that many young refugees and migrants are taking highly dangerous routes to reach their destinations.

A vast amount of unaccompanied and separated children were recorded in around 80 countries in the combined years of 2015 and 2016, up from 66000 in 2010 and 2011, as per the new UNICEF report titled A Child is a Child: Protecting children on the move from violence, abuse and exploitation.

The report depicts a global picture of refugee and migrant children, the motivations behind their journeys and the risks they face along the way.

At least 300000 unaccompanied and separated children moving across borders were registered in 80 countries in 2015-16. 92 per cent of children who arrived to Italy by sea in 2016 were unaccompanied.

The figure is up from 75 per cent in 2015. 100000 unaccompanied children travelling alone were apprehended at the Mexico–United States border in 2015 and 2016.

75 per cent of children who arrived in Italy reported experiences such as being held against their will or being forced to work without pay.

The report also finds that children account for approximately 28 per cent of trafficking victims globally.

In Sub-Saharan Africa and Central America and the Caribbean have the highest share of children among detected trafficking victims at 64 and 62 per cent, respectively.

ANSWER: UNICEF

Explanation:
Actor Priyanka Chopra has been appointed as United Nations Children’s Fund’s latest Global Goodwill Ambassador.

Decision was announced by well known soccer player David Beckham and British actress Millie Bobby Brown on 12th Dec.

The honour was conferred on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the UN body in NY.

Other UNICEF goodwill ambassadors include Orlando Bloom, Jackie Chan, Ishmael Beah, Kodjo and Femi Kuti.

The actor thanked UNICEF for the experience she had gained and pledged to be a driver of change.

Priyanka is also UNICEF’s National Ambassador since 2010 with the responsibility of working on child rights and adolescence.

She has also been associated with other causes such as women’s rights, health, environment, education, gender equality and gender parity.

She made her debut on American TV show Quantico recently.

She has also made her Hollywood debut in Baywatch starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron.

UNICEF

• Founded: 11th Dec, 1946.
• Headquarters: New York City
• President: Sven Jürgenson
• Executive Director: Anthony Lake
• Parent organisation: United Nations Economic and Social Council
• Affiliations: United Nations
• Founder: Ludwik Rajchman
• First Chairman: Ludwik Rajchman

ANSWER: Hillary Clinton

Explanation:
Democrat leader Hillary Clinton honoured singer Katy Perry with the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award at the UNICEF Gala.

Clinton made an appearance at the UNICEF Annual Snowflake Ball to give the award to Perry.

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (Katy Perry) was born in Oct 1984. She is an American singer and songwriter.

After singing in church during her childhood, she first pursued a career in gospel music. Perry signed with Red Hill Records and released her debut studio lamb Katy Hudson under her birth name in 2001.

She has since then carved a successful career for herself in music since then.

UNICEF - United National Children’s Fund

• Created by UNGA
• This is a UN program.
• Date of creation: 11th December 1946
• Headquarters: New York City
• Objective: Humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing nations.
• CEO: Anthony Lake
• President: Sven Jürgenson
• Founders: Herbert Hoover, Maurice Pate

ANSWER: 28 million

Explanation:
According to UNICEF, close to 50 million children throughout the world are uprooted or forcibly displaced from home countries by violence, war and persecution.

• Analysis of global data revealed that 28 million of these children were displaced by violence and conflict including 10 million child refugees
• There were also one million asylum seekers whose refugee status is pending and close to 17 million children displaced within their own countries lacking access to humanitarian aid and critical services
• Close to 20 million other children have left their homes for various reasons including gang violence or extreme poverty
• Many are at risk of abuse or detention because they lack legal status and their well being cannot be systematically tracked
• Children are increasingly crossing borders on their own; close to 100000 minors applied for asylum in 78 countries in 2015 tripling the numbers from the year before
• UNICEF pointed to children accounting for disproportionate and growing proportion of people seeking refuge outside their birth countries
• Children constitute a third of the world’s population but half of all refugees
• In 2015, close to 45 percent of the child refugees under the UN refugee agency’s care came from Syria and Afghanistan

ANSWER: 70 million

Explanation:
United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund on 28th June 2016 released the State of the World’s Children 2016 report.

• Data has shown unless pace of progress rises, future of disadvantaged and vulnerable children is at stake
• Close to 70 million children die before reaching age 5
• Children in sub-saharan Africa are 10 times more likely to do so than high income nations.
• Close to 750 million women have been married as children
• 9 of 10 children living in extreme poverty are in Sub-Saharan Africa
• The report also indicated that some positive indications arena place.
• Global under-give mortality rates have been more than halved since 1990

ANSWER: Istanbul

Explanation:
The first World Humanitarian Summit was held in Istanbul from 23rd to 24th May since WW2.
The summit was inaugurated by UN Secretary General ban Ki-moon and hosted by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan

• This summit was held and attended by world leaders of the UN member nations with the aim of ending conflict, respecting rule of war, addressing displacement and attaining gender equality.
• UNICEF also launched a new “Education Cannot Wait” fund at the summit

ANSWER: Ashley Judd

Explanation:
United Nations Population Fund The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on 15th March 2016 appointed Ashley Judd as its Goodwill Ambassador. She is a humanitarian, actor, writer and political activist.Her appointment is also aimed at generating awareness about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Agenda that was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015.

ANSWER: Nepal

Explanation:
Nepal has been elected member of the UN Children’s Fund executive board representing the group of Asia Pacific states for 2016-2018. Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Durga Prasad Bhattarai has been elected as vice president to the Bureau of the Executive Board of UNICEF in 2016.