[GENEVA, 18 June 2009] – Today, Defence for Children International (DCI) wrote a letter to UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman asking UNICEF to publicly renounce the sponsorship of the international communications company Motorola.

Motorola provides communication equipment, surveillance systems, munitions and munitions components to the Israeli military. This technology is used by the Israeli authorities and Israeli settlers to colonise and maintain the military occupation of the Palestinian territory. Motorola is thus effectively benefiting from Israeli military offensives against the Palestinian civilian population and the presence of illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory.

DCI urges UNICEF to reject all financial support from Motorola and publicly renounce any connections with Motorola on the grounds of the company”s unethical involvement in grave child rights violations committed by the Israeli militray, Israeli settlers and the Israeli government.

This initiative is led by the New York Campaign for the Boycott of Israel (NYCBI) and Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, with whom DCI has partnered before. In 2008, DCI and Adalah-NY, among other groups, had successfully lobbied UNICEF to reject support offered by Israeli businessman Lev Leviev, who owns companies that are responsible for building housing units in several settlements.