UNITED NATIONS--U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that he has appointed former U.S. President Bill Clinton's National Security Adviser Anthony Lake to head the United Nations children's fund, UNICEF.
Lake is succeeding Ann Veneman, former U.S. President George W. Bush's agriculture secretary who took over UNICEF in 2005. He will take up his position at the helm of the New York-based U.N. agency in May, Ban told reporters at a monthly news conference.
"He brings with him a wealth of experience after a long and distinguished career with the United States government," Ban said.
Lake, 70, joined the U.S. foreign service in 1962 and became Clinton's chief security adviser in 1993. He was also a foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign and is currently a professor at Georgetown University.
UNICEF provides humanitarian and development aid worldwide, with a special focus on children. The top UNICEF post has traditionally gone to the United States, which is the biggest donor to the agency and the United Nations overall.
