Annan Chooses Veneman to Be UNICEF Chief
By Maggie Farley, Times Staff Writer
UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday that he had nominated outgoing U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman to head the United Nations Children's Fund, and expected the organization's board to confirm her today.
Veneman, a California Republican, will take the place of Carol Bellamy, who will end a decade-long tenure as UNICEF's executive director in May.
The post has traditionally gone to an American since the agency was created in 1946 to help young victims of World War II, and Veneman was reportedly the Bush administration's first choice. Annan interviewed her during a trip to Washington last month and agreed she would be the best candidate....
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Bellamy, 63, was nominated by President Clinton for the position in 1995 after heading the Peace Corps. An outspoken Democrat and former New York politician, she has been a target of conservatives who have criticized her for using her position to advance global reproductive health, sex education and children's rights, which those critics believe take decisions out of parents' hands....
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-veneman18jan18,0,4267109.story?coll=la-home-world