5 Qirsh UNICEF

Egypt's 1972 UNICEF issue was part of a wave of commemorative coinage produced across member states to mark the 25th anniversary of UNICEF, celebrated in 1971 — the slight delay in Egypt's case reflecting the administrative realities of coordinating a national mint program around a specific international date. The FAO and UNICEF series of the early 1970s were actively promoted by both organizations as a fundraising and awareness mechanism, with participating governments sometimes retaining a portion of proceeds.

The Egyptian pound was under considerable pressure during this period following the economic disruptions of the 1967 war with Israel, which makes the allocation of mint resources to commemorative issues a notable political choice.