NEW YORK — As executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund, Anthony Lake is a fierce defender of children — especially the poorest and most marginalized — and believes they should be a focal point as world leaders gather in New York to work on a set of antipoverty goals.
"Our message will be again that it is not only important in principle, for the sake of children that are suffering around the world, that we concentrate more on the poorest and most disadvantaged children, but that (it) is the right practice for a number of reasons," Lake said in a recent interview at his office near U.N. headquarters.
Some 140 heads of state and government have gathered for the three-day summit on the Millennium Development Goals that began Monday. The meeting was called to press for collective action on achieving a set of eight goals by 2015.