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New UNICEF Executive Director embraces Millennium Development Goals

© USDA

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman in Iraq while serving as U.S. Agriculture Secretary

NEW YORK, 2 May 2005 – On her first day as UNICEF’s new Executive Director, Ann M. Veneman pledged to play a key role in helping the world meet the Millennium Development Goals.

Veneman, who was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to succeed outgoing Executive Director Carol Bellamy, said that among her top priorities will be ensuring that UNICEF works to advance the Millennium Development Goals.

“The Millennium Development Goals reflect the wishes and the will of governments around the world,” Ms. Veneman said. “And because they place such important emphasis on the well-being of children, UNICEF has a vital role to play in helping meet the goals.”

© UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan

Veneman, a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, assumed the leadership of UNICEF today, becoming the fifth Executive Director to lead UNICEF in its 60-year history.

“It is a great honor to have the opportunity to lead UNICEF, which is truly one of the world’s great institutions,” Ms. Veneman said on her first official day at UNICEF. “Too many children in the world face hardships and challenges that should never be a part of childhood. I look forward to continuing UNICEF’s mission of serving children around the globe.”