An ISU alumnus, who is now a deputy director for a branch of the United Nations that works to ensure children’s rights, visited Ames on Friday and spoke about the treatment of children around the world.

Gary Stahl, a 1983 ISU graduate with majors in Spanish and international studies, was promoted to deputy director of the U.N. International Children’s Emergency Fund last year and invited back to Iowa State to speak about his career as part of the Foreign Languages and Literature Department’s “Choosing a Career: Languages and Cultures in the Professional World” program.

In an interview with the Daily, Stahl said UNICEF works to protect the rights of children worldwide, but several challenges stand in the way of the program’s goal.

“Our mandate is all rights for all children,” he said. “That’s not easy because of our limited resources.”

Stahl said more than 190 countries ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, an international resolution adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 1989 to guarantee rights for children such as education and immunization.

“Two countries have not ratified the convention yet,” he said. “Somalia, who currently does not have a government, and the United States.”

Stahl said the form of government practiced in the U.S. could pose an obstacle to the adoption of the convention, but other countries with similar systems have ratified the resolution.

“Some would argue that it’s difficult for federal systems like the U.S. to ratify and abide by international law,” he said.

“There’s a very bizarre ethos that we’ve become the world’s only superpower, so the rest of the world should abide by these conventions, but we don’t have to; as if we’re above that.”

Nicole Woodroffe, president of the ISU Campus Republicans, said she does not think the United States needs to adopt the Convention on the Rights of the Child to act in accordance with its intent.

“While we’re certainly in support of children’s rights and humanitarian efforts, I don’t think it’s a necessity to actually ratify it as long as we adhere to its principles,” said Woodroffe, senior in political science.

She said the U.S. has to be “very careful” about what treaties it signs.

“Our constitution demands that we carefully scrutinize any treaty or international agreement that we enter into,” Woodroffe said.

Drew Larson, president of the ISU Democrats, said the United States should ratify the convention.

“Children’s rights is an issue we think is very important,” said Larson, senior in accounting. “If Somalia is the only other country not to ratify the convention, then we’re not in very good company.”

He said working toward allowing all children to have access to basic necessities is something that should be continued.

“It’s unacceptable to leave children dying of curable diseases and without access to education,” Larson said. “We have to start putting our money where our mouth is.”

Stahl said UNICEF works with individual governments to assure children’s rights are met.

“We do a lot of advocacy work,” he said, “and we have a strong ethical voice.”

He said politicians in countries where children’s rights violations occur can’t afford the international response UNICEF is capable of generating.

“Elected officials respond to public pressure,” he said. “Who’s going to argue with children’s rights? Who can afford to throw out UNICEF?”

Stahl said although UNICEF is a part of the United Nations, it does not receive mandatory funding from members of the U.N.

“We are completely voluntarily funded,” he said. “Year to year, we have no guarantee what kind of budget we’ll have to work with.”

He said two-thirds of UNICEF’s funding comes from government donations while the rest comes from public sources. The leading donor is the United States.