UN Authority Figures

UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Board: Sudan

Four Sudanese girls were raped by a paramilitary group as they collected firewood.
Source: Radio Dubanga, June 23, 2016

Mission of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF): "UNICEF is mandated by the UN General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. UNICEF mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a "first call for children" and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF is committed to ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children - victims of war, disasters, extreme poverty, all forms of violence and exploitation and those with disabilities. UNICEF responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority." (UN Children's Fund website, "UNICEF's Mission Statement")

Term of office: 2018-2020

Sudan's Record on Children:
"Societal abuses included ... early childhood marriage; use of child soldiers; child abuse; sexual exploitation of children; ... and child labor... Allegations persisted, ... that armed movements, government forces, and government-aligned militias had child soldiers within their ranks. According to several reports, the government provided material and logistical support in the country to the South Sudan opposition group, Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition, which was widely reported to recruit and use child soldiers... Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C): FGM/C traditionally was practiced in the country... No national law prohibits FGM/C... Child abuse and abduction for ransom were widespread in conflict areas... The law establishes the legal age of marriage at 10 years old for girls and 15 years old or puberty for boys. There were no reliable statistics on the extent of child marriage, but child advocates reported it remained a problem, especially in rural areas..."
(U.S. State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2016, Sudan)