It was brought into existence on December 11, 1946, by a resolution of the General Assembly, as the International Children's Emergency Fund, charged with responsibility to prevent epidemics and stave off the worst consequences of malnutrition among millions of children who had been exposed to the ravages of war. It brought supplies of food, clothing, and drugs to these young victims of man-made upheaval and conflagration, which tore at the roots of European civilization.