Global Policy Forum

Dear Ms Bellamy:

On July 19, Unicef announced its partnership with the McDonald's Corporation to hold "McDonald's World Children's Day".

In effect, Unicef is lending its good name and endorsement to McDonald's, the world's largest fast food chain. McDonald's is a global leader in the marketing of junk food that is creating soaring rates of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, and that is disrupting traditional ways of food preparation in families and cultures.

It is truly a challenge to see how this partnership with McDonald's is consistent with Unicef's claim to promote "good nutrition" to the world's children. As you know, McDonald's markets precisely the high-added-fat, high-added-sugar junk food that undermines good nutrition for the world's children.

McDonald's is responsible for multimillion dollar ad campaigns that prod children to nag, whine and throw tantrums so that their parents will consent to buy them junk food. The company's ad campaigns deliberately foment conflict between parents and children regarding food.

It is not the proper role of Unicef to endorse or serve as enabler for corporate activities of this kind. Do you really think people contribute to Unicef so that you can help corporate advertisers to manipulate innocent and impressionable children with sophisticated psychological techniques, cause strife in the home and promote the consumption of junk food?

Unicef's mission is to protect children from just these things. Therefore, we urge you to reconsider your partnership with the McDonald's Corporation, and cancel "McDonald's World Children's Day" immediately.

Sincerely,

Enola Aird, director, the Motherhood Project, Institute for American Values Monika Arora, programme director, HRIDAY-SHAN, India The Honorable Danielle Auroi, member, European parliament, France Belen Balanya, co-author, Europe, Inc.: Regional and Global Restructuring and the Rise of Corporate Power Peter Barnes, co-founder, Working Assets; author, Who Owns the Sky? Medea Benjamin, founding director, Global Exchange Stephen Bezruchka MD, MPH, senior lecturer, department of health services, school of public health and community medicine, Washington University Louis Borgenicht MD, member, board of directors, Physicians for Social Responsibility Brita Butler-Wall PhD, executive director, Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools Nancy Carlsson-Paige EdD, professor of child development, Lesley University Vittorio Carreri, presidente, Giunta esecutiva, SItI; head of the sanitary prevention unit of Lombardy Region Joan Claybrook, president, Public Citizen The Honorable Ian Cohen MLC, New South Wales parliament, Australia Ronnie Cummins, national director, Organic Consumers Association Donald R Davis PhD, research associate in nutrition, biochemical institute, Texas University Erica Frank MD, MPH, vice-chairwoman and associate professor; director, preventive medicine residency program, department of family and preventive medicine, Emory University school of medicine Gary Goldbaum MD, MPH, associate professor of epidemiology, Washington University Joan Gussow EdD, M S Rose professor emeritus, nutrition and education, teachers college, Columbia University Andy Harris MD, board of directors, Physicians For Social Responsibility Paul Hawken, Natural Capital Institute Michael F Jacobson PhD, executive director, center for science in the public interest David L Katz MD, MPH, FACPM, associate clinical professor, Yale school of medicine Joe Kelly, executive director, Dads and Daughters; and publisher, Daughters Newsletter: For Parents of Girls Michael Kieschnick, president, Working Assets Jean Kilbourne, author, Can't Buy Me Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think And Feel Ronald M Krauss, MD, senior scientist, life sciences division, Lawrence Berkeley national laboratory; adjunct professor, department of nutritional sciences, University of California, Berkeley Velma LaPoint PhD, associate professor of human development, Howard University Pieta-Rae Laut, executive director, Public Health Association of Austrailia Diane Levin PhD, professor of education, Wheelock College Jane Levine EdD, founder, Kids Can Make A Difference Lida Lhotska PhD, regional coordinator for Europe, International Baby Food Action Network Susan Linn EdD, associate director, media center of the Judge Baker children's center; instructor in psychiatry, Harvard Medical School Alison Linnecar, international coordinator, Geneva Infant Feeding Association Alan H Lockwood MD, professor of neurology and nuclear medicine, University at Buffalo; past-president and chairman, environment and health committee, physicians for social responsibility Ben Manski, co-chairman, Green Party of the United States Mohamed Marwoun MS, specialist, community medicine, ministry of public health, Saudi Arabia Bob McCannon, executive director, New Mexico media literacy project Robert McChesney PhD, research professor, institute of communications research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; author, Rich Media, Poor Democracy Mary Anne Mercer DrPH, senior lecturer, Washington University school of public health and community medicine Jim Metrock, president, Obligation, Inc. Mark Crispin Miller PhD, professor of media ecology, New York University Diane M Morrison PhD, research professor & associate dean for research, Washington University school of social work Keven Mosley-Koehler MS, MPH, grant project manager, Group Health Community Foundation Robert K Musil PhD, MPH, executive director and CEO, Physicians for Social Responsibility Peggy O'Mara, editor and publisher, Mothering Magazine Sheldon Rampton, editor, PR Watch Mike Rayner DPhil, director, British Heart Foundation health promotion research group John Rensenbrink, US representative, Global Green Network The Honorable Lee Rhiannon MLC, New South Wales parliament, Australia Gary Ruskin, executive director, Commercial Alert Ted Schettler MD, MPH, science director, Science and Environmental Health Network Juliet Schor, professor of sociology, Boston College; author, The Overspent American and The Overworked American John Stauber, executive director, Center for Media & Democracy; co-author, Trust Us, We're Experts and Toxic Sludge is Good for You Vic Strasburger MD, professor of pediatrics, University of New Mexico school of medicine; author, Children, Adolescents, and the Media Karen Valenzuela MA, MPA, Washington state public health association Susan Villani MD, medical director, schools programs, Kennedy Krieger Institute; assistant professor of psychiatry, Johns Hopkins school of medicine Robert Weissman, co-author, Corporate Predators; co-director, Essential Action The Honorable Matti Wuori, member, European parliament, Finland