Belarus will be part of the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in 2017, the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told BelTA.
Deputy Permanent Representative of Belarus in the UN Irina Velichko has been elected deputy chairperson of the UNICEF Executive Board to represent the Eastern Europe regional group.
The Bureau of the UNICEF Executive Board comprises a chairperson and four deputies. The deputies represent regional groups and are elected every year by the UNICEF Executive Board. The Bureau acts as a bridge between the UNICEF Secretariat and the countries represented in the UNICEF Executive Board.
The Bureau facilitates fast resolution of administrative and functional issues. It assists with negotiations on decisions of the UNICEF Executive Board and contributes to better performance of the UNICEF Executive Board.
Apart from Belarus the Bureau now includes representatives of Antigua and Barbuda (the chairperson of the UNICEF Executive Board), Burkina Faso, Norway, and Saudi Arabia.
The elections took place in the run-up to the first session of the United Nations Children's Fund, which is scheduled to take place in New York, USA on 7-9 February. During the session the UNICEF Executive Board is expected to review progress in preparing a new strategic plan for the UNICEF's work for the next four years, results of UNICEF's joint work with other UN agencies to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. Session participants will also adopt UNICEF country programs for countries in South Africa and Latin America.
Read the article at BelTA web site: http://ow.ly/i4uN307VANz