CONTROVERSY OVER THE NEW UNICEF
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
HEALTH ACTIVISTS SET
UP “UNICEF WATCH”.
New York, Bangalore and Manila; 28 April 05:
The newly appointed chief of UNICEF has come under heavy criticism from
health activists worldwide. People’s Health Movement, a global coalition
of grassroots activists and academics, is launching a ‘UNICEF WATCH’
to monitor the new director’s ‘anti-children’ activities and thus defend
UNICEF and the rights of children.
Ms.
Ann Veneman, former US Secretary of Agriculture, is set to begin a 5-year
term as the Executive Director of UNICEF on May 2, 2005. “We will be
monitoring her every move,” said Todd Jailer, a spokesperson for the
UNICEF WATCH.
“Ms.
Veneman lacks any public health or child welfare qualifications,” said
Tawnia Queen, a spokesperson for the People’s Health Movement in the
United States. Ms. Veneman publicly stated that women’s reproductive
health has nothing to do with child health and suggested that UNICEF would
not continue program activities in these areas. The People’s Health
Movement says that research studies and experience show the contrary.
Several health groups, NGOs and civil society organisations expressed
their collective concern over the appointment. They fear that her tenure
at UNICEF signals an end to the proud history and essential mission of
UNICEF. “Her activities in the United States have consistently worked
against people’s access to safe, nutritious food and the land to grow it
on,” Todd Jailer said.
This
new watchdog body is a collective effort of people from various walks of
life, like health and consumer activists, researchers and academics, civil
society initiatives working to protect the rights of the children, women’s
groups, media and others. The People’s Health Movement, with grassroots
presence in nearly 100 countries, is piloting the watchdog body.
The key issues that will come under the scrutiny of the UNICEF WATCH
are:
*
Any move that may place children’s well-being beneath corporate
profits, because Ms. Veneman has championed the unrestrained pursuit
of profit for corporations as an economic right at the cost of human
rights.
*
Any move that may undermine child nutrition and food security, because, in
the past, Ms. Veneman’s activities in the United States have
consistently worked against people’s access to safe, nutritious food and
the land to grow it on;
*
Health of women and mothers, because Ms. Veneman publicly stated that
women’s reproductive health has nothing to do with child health, despite
all studies and experience to the contrary, and suggested that UNICEF
would not continue program activities in these areas.
Since
the U.S. government rammed the appointment of Ms. Veneman through the
office of the Secretary General and UNICEF Executive Board in January this
year, the People’s Health Movement circulated an ‘Open Letter of Concern’
protesting the secret nomination and closed confirmation processes. The
letter (posted at
www.saveunicef.org) enumerates the reasons why Ms. Veneman’s
background makes her completely unsuitable for her new position. To date
the letter has attracted over 2000 signatures from around the world.
The
People’s Health Movement recognizes that all children have a right to a
healthy and dignified future, and that UNICEF has for six decades been the
international organization charged with vigilance over and fulfillment of
that future. “We will expose if she tries to derail UNICEF and place
corporate profits ahead of children’s lives,” said Ravi Narayan,
spokesperson for the Global Secretariat of the People’s Health Movement.
The
corporate take over of health care and the increasing grip of
transnational companies on health is a key issue for the upcoming People’s
Health Assembly-2, scheduled to be held in Ecuador in July 2005 (http://www.iphcglobal.org/pha2.htm).
For more information, contact:
Todd
Jailer or Tawnia Queen at
phm-usa@phm-usa.org (Ph: 01 510 845 1447)
PHM
Global secretariat: +91 80 5128 0009
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