UNICEF ESSAY CONTEST OFFERS YOUNG PEOPLE PLACE
AT TABLE WITH WORLD LEADERS

Contest winners to attend Junior 8 Summit in Japan

New York, January 8, 2008—In an attempt to advance the understanding of
global issues among young people, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF today announced the
launch of a national essay contest for young people interested in participating
in the Junior 8 (J8) summit, a youth event convened this year in Japan and
linked to the annual Group of 8 (G8) Summit.

“The world is complex enough for grown-ups to make sense of, let alone our
children,” said Caryl Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. “What
better way to engage the minds of young people than by providing them a forum
in which to discuss and advocate on issues with some of the most powerful
leaders in the world.”

Organized by UNICEF and now in its fourth year, the J8 program enables young
people the unique opportunity to become involved in the topics that concern
G8 countries and the broader global community.

Schools and youth groups across the nation are encouraged to recruit teams
of four young people, aged 13 to 17 years to draw from their knowledge,
understanding and perspectives on a range of global issues and compete through this
essay contest for the opportunity to represent the U.S. at the J8 summit
scheduled to take place in Hokkaido, Japan in July. Along with the 500 word
essay, teams must also submit a written declaration or a multi-media project.

Last year’s J8 and G8 summits were held in Wismar, Germany. The youth
delegates attending the J8 took their cues from the agenda of the leaders of the
G8 countries and addressed such issues as economic prospects for Africa,
HIV/AIDS, climate change and energy efficiency.

In addition to climate change and HIV/AIDS, all candidate teams competing to
attend this year’s J8 will address the following issues: 1) global warming
and climate change; 2) poverty and development; and 3) child survival,
infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS. All applications must be submitted by March 1, 2008,
with winners scheduled to be announced no later than March 31st.

The winning U.S. team will join youth delegations from the other G8 member
countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation and
the United Kingdom.

An additional seven J8 delegates from developing countries will be selected
by UNICEF. One delegate will be selected from each team to meet with the G8
leaders to discuss their ideas.

For more information on criteria and rules of competition and to download a
contest application please go to:
(http://www.unicefusa.org/youthaction) .

About UNICEF
For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world’s leading international
children’s organization, working in over 150 countries to address the ongoing
issues that affect why kids are dying. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition,
clean water, education, protection and emergency response saving more young
lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions of
children die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upper
respiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partnering
organizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reach to
give children the best hope of survival. For more information about UNICEF,
please visit (http://www.unicefusa.org/) .
For additional information, please contact:
Richard Alleyne, U.S. Fund for UNICEF; (212) 880-9177, ralleyne@unicefusa.org