Finland Times

The permanent representative of Finland to the United Nations, Jarmo Viinanen has been elected the President of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in New York on Friday.

Ambassador Viinanen, is the first Finnish, who was made president  of UNICEF since 1946, said a foreign ministry press release here on Saturday.

The Finnish envoy, after being elected reminded that the Executive Board fully supports and values the crucial work of UNICEF, delivering results for children, even within a challenging global economic situation, and often in difficult contexts on the ground.

 "Our task as Executive Board is to provide appropriate guidance and oversight, so that the organization is able to continue and further enhance its work, to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children in the world and realize their rights."  Said Viinanen, adding that he would aim to Chair the Executive Board in a spirit of openness.

The Executive Board is the governing body of UNICEF, providing intergovernmental support and oversight to the organization, in accordance with the overall policy guidance of the United Nations General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.

The President and four Vice-Presidents constitute the Bureau. These five officers, each one representing one of the five regional groups, are elected by the Executive Board each year from among its members, with the presidency rotating among the regional groups on an annual basis. The Executive Board is the governing body of UNICEF and made up of 36 Member States. It meets three times each year in New York.

UNICEF is the world's leading advocate for children. For 60 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.

UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.