The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was founded by the UN General Assembly on December 11, 1946 to provide relief to children and mothers affected by World War 2. The original mandate served to provide immediate healthcare, food, and other aid to children and mothers impacted by the war, however, UNICEF expanded its mission in 1950 to focus on the long-term needs of children in developing countries. This established UNICEF as a permanent part of the United Nations in 1953. The name was also officially changed to the United Nations Children’s Fund, but the original acronym UNICEF remained unchanged. Since its establishment, UNICEF has contributed to halving the global child mortality rates, providing access to safe water and sanitation for over 2 billion people, vaccinating half of the world’s children, helping 25 million girls avoid early marriages, providing education to around 26 million children, and registering the births of half a billion children. Today, UNICEF works across 190 countries to protect the basic needs and rights of children, targeting issues such as health, nutrition, education, and security.