Ann M. Veneman has been Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) since May 2005. Under her leadership, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the global "Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS"campaign have been launched. Prior to joining UNICEF, Ms. Veneman served as Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture, from 2001 to 2005. She currently chairs the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition.
Education Is Key to Reducing Child Mortality: The Link Between Maternal Health and Education
In 2006, for the first time in recent history, the total number of annual deaths among children under the age of five fell below 10 million, to 9.7 million. This represents a 60-per-cent drop in the rate of child mortality since 1960.