Backgrounder: New UNICEF chief Anthony Lake
Backgrounder: New UNICEF chief Anthony Lake
09:39, March 17, 2010 
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday appointed former U.S. security advisor and diplomat Anthony Lake as the new head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"He brings with him a wealth of experience after a long and distinguished career with the United States government," the secretary-general said at his monthly press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Lake, an American, succeeds Ann Veneman, a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Veneman announced last December she would not seek a second term as the executive director.
He is set to start his appointment in the first week of May, Ban said.
Lake, 70, joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1962 and was posted to Vietnam. He soon became an aide to then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1969, even accompanying him on his first secret meeting with North Vietnamese negotiators in Paris.
Lake's highlighted career includes an extensive U.S. Department career, including the head of policy planning operation under former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Lake was the national security advisor to former U.S. President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. In addition, Lake has served nine years on the board of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, including a stint as chairman of the board from 2004-2007.
During U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign, Lake served as a foreign policy advisor to him.
At present, Lake is a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Washington D.C., and chairman of the Marshall Legacy Institute, which helps provide relief to developing countries emerging from conflict.
The secretary-general appoints the UNICEF chief in consultations with the board of the UN agency.
UNICEF, created in 1946, is dedicated to addressing the needs of youngsters worldwide with more than 7,000 people working in 157 countries. The United States is the biggest donor of the organization.
Source: Xinhua
"He brings with him a wealth of experience after a long and distinguished career with the United States government," the secretary-general said at his monthly press conference at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Lake, an American, succeeds Ann Veneman, a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Veneman announced last December she would not seek a second term as the executive director.
He is set to start his appointment in the first week of May, Ban said.
Lake, 70, joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1962 and was posted to Vietnam. He soon became an aide to then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in 1969, even accompanying him on his first secret meeting with North Vietnamese negotiators in Paris.
Lake's highlighted career includes an extensive U.S. Department career, including the head of policy planning operation under former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Lake was the national security advisor to former U.S. President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. In addition, Lake has served nine years on the board of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, including a stint as chairman of the board from 2004-2007.
During U.S. President Barack Obama's campaign, Lake served as a foreign policy advisor to him.
At present, Lake is a professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Washington D.C., and chairman of the Marshall Legacy Institute, which helps provide relief to developing countries emerging from conflict.
The secretary-general appoints the UNICEF chief in consultations with the board of the UN agency.
UNICEF, created in 1946, is dedicated to addressing the needs of youngsters worldwide with more than 7,000 people working in 157 countries. The United States is the biggest donor of the organization.
Source: Xinhua
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