Building a meaningful framework to achieve Indigenous equality
UNICEF Australia is committed to working towards reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians to help build a nation where the rights of all children in Australia are respected and realised.
UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund and is guided by the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child to advocate for the rights of all children everywhere, regardless of religion, race, sex or geographical location, and expand the opportunities for children to reach their full potential.
Australia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in December 1990. This means that the Australian government has a duty to ensure that all children in Australia enjoy the rights set out in the Convention. The CRC includes the right to non-discrimination, the right to be protected from violence, abuse and neglect, and the right to services such as good quality healthcare, nutritious food and an education.
Building a meaningful framework to achieve Indigenous equality
Indigenous children have a life expectancy that is 17 years below that of non-Indigenous children. UNICEF Australia works to advocate for the rights of all children in Australia, guided by the CRC, to help close this gap. This involves both working in partnership with government, communities, non-government organisations and other partners to improve the lives of Indigenous children, and highlighting areas of concern or failure in order to hold authorities to account.
UNICEF Australia is dedicated to raising funds to support UNICEF’s work for children in over 150 developing countries, however UNICEF generally does not operate development programs in industrialised countries where governments have the resources, expertise and responsibility to protect the poorest and most vulnerable.