PHA-Exchange> new UNICEF head nominated

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

From: María Hamlin Zúniga 
To: PHM - Secretariat 
Cc: PHM_Steering_Group_02-03 
Sent: Friday, January 28, 2005 5:23 AM
Subject: [PHM_Steering_Group_02-03] FW: mention of new UNICEF head


Friends,
Please indicate your willingness to protest, so that I can inform Judith.
GK is adamant that we do so.
Maria

Dear Maria,
Appointment of Veneman as head of UNICEF can not be accepted and must be
condemned.We must protest loudly and continuously in every forum till
appointment of Veneman is cancelled.This appointment is as bad as attacking
Iraq by Bush.
Best wishes,
Zafrullah

Please advise asap.
Maria

From: Judith Richter [mailto:judith.richter at attglobal.net] 
Sent: jueves, 27 de enero de 2005 0:40
To: WGNRR (WGNRR); maria at iphcglobal.org; Loes Keysers
Subject: FW: mention of new UNICEF head
Importance: High


Dear friends,

 The appointment of the new UNICEF Executive Director is a catastrophy. Have a 
look at below and look for her detailed CV (e.g. via google). Veneman is close 
to Monsanto et al. She probably will propose combating malnutrition by 
combating "misperceptions" about genetically engineered food.

 Even if not, her statement reported below will show you what is ahead with 
UNICEF for the next 4 (or 5?) years. Could NGOs get together and collect 
protest signatures to be presented to the Executive board (and suggest to 
refuse her instauration?)

 Judith

 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/497903 


New UNICEF Chief Cool Towards Reproductive Health

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) Jan 19 - The new director of the U.N. children's 
agency, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, said on Tuesday that social 
issues such as reproductive health were irrelevant to the mission of UNICEF.

Veneman, who will replace Carol Bellamy as executive director of UNICEF in 
May, was introduced to reporters by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She was 
the first choice of the Bush administration and is expected to be confirmed by 
UNICEF's board this week.

Veneman trod on sensitive terrain when she was asked about reproductive health 
programs, which can include family planning and sex education for teen-agers. 
Such programs have been controversial in the United States where the Bush 
administration has sought to promote teen sexual abstinence.

"I don't come with any broad agenda with regard to those or any other social 
issues," Veneman said. "I don't believe that these issues are relevant to the 
mission of UNICEF."

"I come with an agenda of helping children, particularly in the areas of 
education and health, and to address the issues of hunger and malnutrition," 
Veneman said.

UNICEF has supported teen-agers having access to family planning information, 
particularly to prevent HIV infection and maternal mortality. The Bush 
administration stresses abstinence as the best prevention for AIDS.

In many parts of the world, young women, particularly those who marry older 
men, are at increased risk of HIV infection and other health risks including 
mortality from multiple pregnancies before their bodies have fully matured.

But UNICEF's position has not become a controversial issue with the Bush 
administration, which has cut off funds to the U.N. Population Fund that 
stresses access to family planning.

The top UNICEF post has been held by an American since the agency's inception 
in 1946 and has a two-term limit, unless Annan waives it. The United States 
has been the biggest financial backer of the agency, which has 7000 staff in 
150 countries.

Veneman said she came to the job "with a commitment to an approach that will 
yield for the world's children results not rhetoric, benefits not banalities."

She said her work at the agriculture department included international child 
nutrition programs in 21 countries.



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