8 Million Europeans lend their voices in support of children in emergencies together with the EU and UNICEF | WPN World People News

‘Voices of Children in Emergencies’, a joint campaign of the EU and UNICEF for children in emergencies was introduced to EU member states in Rome during an informal meeting of the working group on humanitarian assistance of the EU Council. The ceremony was hosted by the Italian EU Presidency, taking place at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation.

“To date, 8 million European citizens have shared the voices of these children through their own digital networks. The campaign has already reached over 143 million people through other media, which exceeds all our expectations” commented Mr. Philippe Cori, Director, UNICEF Brussels EU Office, who attended the ceremony.

Commenting on the EU perspective, Claus Sorensen, Director General of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) said: "The EU and UNICEF have become strategic global partners in providing humanitarian aid. Yet, in order to maintain this life-saving collaboration, we must invest in keeping the strong support we currently enjoy from the EU public. That is why I am thrilled by the outstanding success of this campaign".

The ceremony's host, Mr. Giampaolo Cantini, Director General for Development Cooperation, added: "The ‘Voices of Children’ should be the ‘voices of innocence’ and not the ‘voices of war’. The EU-UNICEF Campaign presents the atrocity of war, through the stories of boys and girls suffering all kind of brutality. We must protect them and stop the violence, which is threatening the future of an entire generation."

Source: United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund