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06:39 GMT
WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (KUNA) -- Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday night said he was "delighted" that the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Gayle Smith as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
"There is no question that Gayle will be the right person in the right job at a crucial time," Kerry said in a statement released by the department. "Her career in the Clinton administration, at USAID, in the NGO community and most recently at the White House has fully prepared her for this responsibility."
In recent years she has been instrumental in driving such key initiatives as Power Africa, Feed the Future and the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Kerry noted.
Smith replaces former USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, who announced his resignation last year amid criticism over the agency's secretive programs in Cuba.(end)
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