The international children's charity has reiterated its commitment to improving child nutrition at the same time as entering into the deal with the world's biggest fast-food retailer.
Unicef and McDonald's are to hold World Children's Day, which will be one of the biggest cause-related marketing initiatives this year, in November.
It is aimed at raising funds for Unicef and local children's organisations worldwide, as well as introducing the work of Unicef to new audiences.
However, it is likely to raise eyebrows among health campaigners because of Unicef's long-term commitment to promoting children's need for a balanced diet.
McDonald's has been working to improve the nutritional content of its menu and is trialling several low-fat products in UK outlets.
Under the deal, McDonald's 30,000 restaurants in 121 countries, including the UK, will organise activities promoting children's causes.
However, the UK arm of Unicef said it would not take part because it was concentrating on other fundraising initiatives such as its ongoing tie-up with British Airways' Change for Good and Great Expectations, whose partners include Kodak. It denied its decision was connected to McDonald's involvement in the activity.
A spokeswoman for the charity's Geneva office said it saw no inconsistency between improving child nutrition and working with McDonald's.
"The aim of this alliance is to improve the lives of children. It does not mean we endorse fast food or the products of any company with which we have an alliance," she said.
Steve Hilton, a partner at social marketing agency Good Business said: "The critics of tie-ups like this forget there's no such thing as healthy or unhealthy food, just healthy or unhealthy diets."
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