UN Photo/Kibae Park Children play in Phnom Penh slum The UN agency for children In the aftermath of World War II, the plight of Europeโs children was grave, and a new agency created by the United Nations stepped in to provide food and clothing and health care to these children. In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the UN and began a successful global campaign against yaws, a disfiguring disease affecting millions of children, and one that can be cured with penicillin. Declaration of the Rights of the Child In 1959 the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child , which defines childrenโs rights to protection, education, health care, shelter and good nutrition. Education Following more than a decade of focus on child health issues, UNICEF expanded its interests to address the needs of the whole child. Thus began an abiding concern with education, starting with support for teacher training and classr...