For
UNICEF, Guterres Confirms Picking
US Fore, ICP Asked of 1/2
Block Drive
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Exclusive series
UNITED NATIONS,
December 22 -- At the UN
Children's Fund UNICEF on the
evening of December 18, Inner
City Press both learned both
that outgoing Executive
Director Anthony Lake is
having his farewell party on
December 19 and finalized its
reporting on who have been the
candidates to replace Lake,
and who UN Secretary General
Antonio Guterres has selected
as the winner, over the
objection of some of his Under
Secretaries General: Henrietta
Fore. This was confirmed on
December 22. As her name
circulated in recent months,
some pointed with concern to
her presence on the boards of
directors of ExxonMobil and
General Mills, and compared
her with other short listed
candidates. Inner City Press
now, prior to the public
announcement of Guterres'
selection if not process,
exclusively reports on these
candidates: former Mozambique
Health Minister Francisco
Songane, UN official Flavia
Bustreo, and Canadian
(Ontario) minister Eric
Hoskins. On December 22 the UN
announced, "Following
consultations with the
Executive Board of the United
Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), United Nations
Secretary-General António
Guterres announced today the
appointment of Henrietta H.
Fore of the United States as
the Fund’s new Executive
Director. She will succeed
Anthony Lake, to whom the
Secretary-General is grateful
for his commitment and
dedicated service to the
Organization. Mr. Lake brought
a renewed focus on equity
throughout UNICEF’s programmes
and services for children. In
achieving results for every
child, his leadership has
strengthened UNICEF’s
reputation and credibility as
an organization, and as a
valued, expert partner for
governments, civil society
groups and businesses around
the world, working together to
achieve results for children.
Ms. Fore has worked to
champion economic development,
education and health,
humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief for the most
vulnerable in the
international and developing
world in a public service,
private sector and non-profit
leadership career that spans
more than four decades.
She was the first woman to be
appointed as the Administrator
of the U.S. Agency for
International Development
(USAID) and the Director of
United States Foreign
Assistance in the U.S.
Department of State. She held
these positions from 2006 to
2009. From 1989 to 1993, she
was the Assistant
Administrator for Asia and the
Assistant Administrator for
Private Enterprise of
USAID. Ms. Fore was also
Under Secretary of State for
Management, the Chief
Operating Officer for the U.S.
Department of State
(2005-2007) and the 37th
Director of the United States
Mint in the U.S. Department of
Treasury (2001-2005). In
addition, she served on the
Board of the Overseas Private
Investment Corporation (OPIC)
and the Millennium Challenge
Corporation.
Ms. Fore currently chairs the
Board and is the Chief
Executive Officer of Holsman
International, a manufacturing
and investment company.
She has also served on the
boards for six domestic and
international public
corporations. " Why not name
these corporations, Exxon
Mobil? On December 19, Inner
City Press asked Guterres'
spokesman Stephane Dujarric to
confirm or deny, video here,
UN transcript here:
Inner City Press: I went
to cover that event at UNICEF
yesterday, and I think that
Anthony Lake is having his
farewell today. Many
people have been waiting for
this announcement of the new
head of UNICEF. Can you
confirm that it is, in fact,
Henrietta Fore and that there
was a shortlist of four,
including a former health
minister of Mozambique?
And I'm asking you, I guess,
in the spirit of kind of
transparency, like, did he
recruit names from countries
other than the United
States? And what's the
status of naming a new head?
Spokesman: I'm waiting
for an announcement,
hopefully, any day now.
As you know, I'm not able to
confirm it, because, frankly,
I don't know who was on the
short list, and I definitely
do not know who is going to be
named.
Inner City
Press: Is
there a process… my
understanding is that he's…
he's decided to… does he have
to check formally with a
board…? Spokesman: It's
done in consultation with the
Executive Board of UNICEF.
Inner City Press:
Okay. And this is… you
may not like this one, but I
just want to ask it because I
want to understand it
better. In going to
cover the event yesterday, on
my way over there, I noticed,
you know, two cars in front of
the building. And, when
I got there, I saw the
Secretary-General drive up in
the two cars, and it seems
like it's only half a block
away. Maybe he was going
somewhere else, but I just
want to be clear… given all
the statements from here about
climate change and various
things, what's the explanation
of two cars to go half a
block? Spokesman: I
don't know if he went half a
block. I'm not aware of
all the Secretary-General's
movements and will not speak
on security issues." It has,
it was pointed out to Inner
City Press at UNICEF's
December 18 event, which
Guterres was driven in two
cars one
block from just across
First Avenue to attend, been
an American job. But, more
than one UNICEF insider asked,
this American? Guterres spoke
including taking a swipe at
media gaining market share
with ideas he disagrees with
(unlike Robert Fico of
Slovakia, whom he met earlier
in the day) and left, quickly
followed by his unresponsive
Under Secretary General for
Global Communications Alison
Smale, who has yet to explain
why Inner City Press for its
reporting is still restricted
after 22 months, its long time
office sitting empty after
being assigned to no-show
Egyptian state media Akhbar al
Yom.
While Guterres
rushed past Smale, sources
tell Inner City Press that
among those chiming in to
Guterres about the UNICEF
raise were Virginia Gamba and
Mark Lowcock. We'll have more
on this.
***
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