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From: Social-Policy is run by SPA for all social policy specialists
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tess Ridge
Apologies for any cross posting
I have been asked to circulate a tribute to Peter Townsend
which has been press released and posted on the UNICEF website at
<http://www.unicef.org/media/media_49993.html>
UNICEF mourns death of Professor Peter Townsend
NEW YORK, 15 June 2009 -
With great sadness, UNICEF has learned that Professor Peter Townsend,
a champion for children everywhere, passed away on 7 June 2009.
Until his life's end, Professor Townsend sustained his outrage at the
inequalities in the world, inequalities that condemn millions of
children to suffer deprivations that violate their basic rights to
survival and development. He advocated fiercely and continuously for
the right of every child, whether from a poor country or a rich
country, to social security and an adequate standard of living. He
used his considerable intellect to research innovative sources of
financing for a universal child benefit - a grant for all children
everywhere - and seized every opportunity to press the measure as both
morally just and economically feasible.
In the course of his life, Professor Townsend influenced many people
and institutions, but the research he led, with David Gordon of
Bristol University, Child Poverty in the Developing World, (2003)
transformed the way UNICEF and many of its partners both understood
and measured the poverty suffered by children. This innovative method
of measuring deprivations: the extent to which a child is unable to
realize his or her fundamental rights to health, food, education,
water, sanitation, shelter and information, has exposed
policy-makers all over the world to a new understanding of child
poverty and inequalities. As a consequence, children are more visible
in poverty reduction policies and debates. UNICEF's Global Study on
Child Poverty and Disparities,
which currently covers 48 countries, has been inspired to a large
extent by Professor Townsend's work. He also took a personal role in
helping UNICEF to bring the voice of the poor to scientific and
political fora, most recently through his powerful speech at
concluding events of the first UN Decade on Poverty Eradication in New
York.
Peter Townsend will be missed by UNICEF, but even more by the millions
of poor children around the world, who never heard his voice, but whom
he never forgot either in his research or in his advocacy, nor, most
importantly, in his heart. Yet his voice will echo beyond his
lifetime, and continue to influence efforts to end child poverty, in
the rich and the poor world.
UNICEF wishes to express its condolences to the family and friends of
Peter Townsend, for the loss to humanity of this great human being, a
man who lived a life that profoundly improved the lives of others.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help
children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.
The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries,
UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation,
quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of
children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded
entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses,
foundations and governments.
For further information, please contact:
Saira Saeed Khan, UNICEF Media, Tel + 212-326-7224, Email
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Tess Ridge
Hon Secretary Social Policy Association
Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/secretariat/legal/disclaimer.htm
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