Working at UNICEF: Speaking up for children's rights
Anne Callaghan, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, talks about her experiences as a member of the UNICEF UK family.
Anne (right) and her colleague Louisa hand in a petition to Downing Street. © UNICEF UK/2010
I’ve been here for two years and manage three fantastic campaigners. I love working at UNICEF UK as we speak out for children’s rights and are transforming children’s lives in more countries in the world than any other organisation.
Working here has also inspired me to start running in aid of UNICEF UK, and in October 2011 I ran my first half-marathon. It was great to be part of the UNICEF team.
Our campaign this year, Speak Up for Children, is all about getting the UK Government to take action so that children don’t have to wake up to a lack of food or clean water, or face disasters like floods and droughts. The Rio Earth Summit in June was a big opportunity to get the government to prioritise children internationally. We were really excited to see that children got a big mention in the Rio outcome document, recognising the long-term impacts that disasters can have on children's futures.
We've now turned our attention to getting the UK Government to take the lead internationally and commit to giving extra money to something called the Green Climate Fund - an international fund which could help build things like cyclone proof schools to protect children from the impacts of climate change.
One of the most inspiring parts of my job is seeing the amazing work that our supporters do. The biggest highlight this year has been the fantastic campaigning by Sheffield UNICEF UK On Campus group. They took the Speak Up for Children campaign message direct to their local MP, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Their work helped ensure that Clegg, who was heading up the delegation to the Rio Earth Summit, knew how important it was to prioritise children.
If you'd like to help us put pressure on the Climate Change Secretary to take action for children, join our Speak up for Children campaign.
Anne Callaghan is Public Affairs Campaign Manager at UNICEF UK