Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF, to visit Finland
Anthony Lake, who assumed the post of Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in May 2010, is making a working visit to Finland on 9–11 November. Lake’s programme includes meetings with President of the Republic Tarja Halonen, Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala, public servants at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Finnish National Committee for UNICEF.
Hailing from the United States, Lake has previously served in posts such as National Security Advisor under President Bill Clinton and as a senior foreign policy adviser to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.
UNICEF works to promote the fulfilment of children’s rights and basic needs. Its operations are grounded in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF also has an important role in humanitarian work. In the current year, Finland’s assistance to UNICEF totals EUR 32 million. Among individual countries, Finland is the eleventh largest supporter of UNICEF.
Additional information: First Secretary Petra Paasilinna, Unit for UN Development Issues, tel. +358 9 1605 6469