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James P. Grant Biographical Information
James P. Grant assumed office as the third Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations on January 1, 1980, succeeding Henry R. Labouisse.
Mr. Grant draws upon a long and distinguished career in the field of development which began with service in China in 1945 and 1947 for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. He came to UNICEF from the Overseas Development Council, of which he served as President and Chief Executive Officer since its establishment in 1969.
Mr. Grant had previously served with the United States Agency for International Development (AID) as an Assistant Administrator (1967 –1969) and as Director of the AID program in Turkey with the personal rank of Minister (1964–1967). He was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and South Asian Affairs (1962–1964) and a Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Administration (AID's predecessor) with responsibility for world-wide programming and planning (1959 –1962). In addition to his work in China and Turkey, his overseas assignments included service as Director of the United States aid mission in Sri Lanka (1956–1958), and Regional Legal Counsel resident in New Delhi for the United States aid program for South Asia (1954 –1956).
Mr. Grant has served as director of a number of organizations involved with development issues, including the Commission on Participation in Development of the World Council of Churches, the International Voluntary Services, the Pan American Development Foundation, the Institute of Current World Affairs, Save the Children and the Foreign Policy Association. He served as President of the
