Building a meaningful framework to achieve Indigenous equality

UNICEF Australia is committed to working towards reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians to help build a nation where the rights of all children in Australia are respected and realised.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund and is guided by the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child to advocate for the rights of all children everywhere, regardless of religion, race, sex or geographical location, and expand the opportunities for children to reach their full potential.

Australia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), in December 1990.  This means that the Australian government has a duty to ensure that all children in Australia enjoy the rights set out in the Convention.  The CRC includes the right to non-discrimination, the right to be protected from violence, abuse and neglect, and the right to services such as good quality healthcare, nutritious food and an education.

Indigenous children have a life expectancy that is 17 years below that of non-Indigenous children. UNICEF Australia works to advocate for the rights of all children in Australia, guided by the CRC, to help close this gap. This involves both working in partnership with government, communities, non-government organisations and other partners to improve the lives of Indigenous children, and highlighting areas of concern or failure in order to hold authorities to account.

UNICEF Australia has worked with local Indigenous organisations in remote communities in Central Australia to address issues affecting young people. This has included partnerships with The Menzies School of Health Research to reduce the incidence and prevalence of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease, and the National Heart Foundation to reduce smoking and support tobacco control programs.

UNICEF Australia is dedicated to raising funds to support UNICEF’s work for children in over 150 developing countries, however UNICEF generally does not operate development programs in industrialised countries where governments have the resources, expertise and responsibility to protect the poorest and most vulnerable.

UNICEF Australia is developing a Reconciliation Action Plan to develop positive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, build respect for Indigenous culture and to identify opportunities to work towards closing the 17-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. By developing a meaningful plan, UNICEF Australia hopes to ensure Indigenous children have the same life opportunities as other children in Australia.