UNICEF Luxembourg Raised More than €11.5m to Support Children in 2023

On Thursday 4 April 2024, UNICEF Luxembourg published its annual report for 2023, a year in which it raised more than €11.5 million for programmes for children around the world.

On Thursday 28 March 2024, UNICEF Luxembourg held its General Assembly. The non-profit organisation noted that 2023 was marked by a multitude of crises, conflicts and natural disasters around the world. Millions of children have been forced to flee or have been injured or killed in recent years. Countless families have faced epidemics and shortages of water and food.

UNICEF Luxembourg noted that the crises to which children are exposed  increasing not only in number, but also in intensity, complexity and duration. As such, "UNICEF's assistance has never been more important".

The non-profit explained that it had notably appealed to the public in Luxembourg for fundraising for emergencies in Ukraine, in the Gaza Strip and also for victims of the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. Thanks to the generosity of donors in the Grand Duchy, more than €2.4 million was raised for emergencies around the world. UNICEF also benefited from the support of its ever-growing "Global Parents" family - more than 5,000 new regular donors joined in 2023. In total, their support made it possible to raise €4,179,004 for projects benefiting children around the world.

Alongside its fundraising work, UNICEF Luxembourg developed its advocacy work around children's rights in 2023, particularly in the context of the municipal and legislative elections. As children represent 19% of the population of the Grand Duchy, and do not have the right to vote, UNICEF Luxembourg raised awareness among voters and political parties of the challenges that children face and called on them to take their needs into account. In addition, the non-profit published reports on the situation of unaccompanied children and child poverty in Luxembourg, including various recommendations.

2023 also saw UNICEF Luxembourg say goodbye to its President, Maryse Arendt, and its Vice-President, Laurent Schonckert. Four new candidates were elected during the General Assembly and will join the Board of Directors, which will henceforth be composed as follows: Elisabeth Omes, President; Yves Dublin, Vice-President; Marcel Kramer, Vice-President; Henri Beck; Georges Bock; Gérard Hoffmann; Pierrette Meisch; Marie Anne Rodesch-Hengesch; Frank Schaack; Celia Weber.

Outgoing President Maryse Arendt commented: "I want to thank my colleagues and the team for their professionalism and tireless commitment. UNICEF in Luxembourg is truly a united team, which always seeks to improve and innovate. I hope that the new Board members will have as many good experiences in UNICEF as I had the pleasure of having."

Outgoing Vice-President Laurent Schockert added: "I come from the business field and therefore the purpose of an association like UNICEF is very different, but I have always found that at the organisational level UNICEF Luxembourg is managed like a business in the best sense of the word, applying the same professionalism and the same rigour."

The General Assembly approved the annual accounts, audited by Ernst & Young SA. As the official representative of UNICEF in the Grand Duchy, UNICEF Luxembourg must not only respect the Luxembourg law on non-profit organisations, but also the rules of good governance and financial transparency to which UNICEF adheres throughout the world. The non-profit added that independent company auditors review the annual accounts each year and check that the funds collected in Luxembourg go back to the programmes and emergencies supported by donors.