UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Kofi Annan said yesterday that he had nominated outgoing U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman to head the U.N. Children's Fund, and expected the organization's board to confirm her today.

Veneman, a Californian Republican, will take the place of Carol Bellamy, who will end a decade-long tenure as UNICEF's executive director in May.

The post has traditionally gone to an American since the agency was created in 1946 to help young victims of World War II, and Veneman was reportedly the Bush administration's first choice. Annan interviewed her during a trip to Washington last month and agreed she would be the best candidate.

Her selection may signify a U.N. move to strengthen ties with the U.S., which have been strained, and comes amid a major shakeup of Annan's Cabinet in an attempt to reinvigorate the organization. Bellamy, 63, was nominated by President Clinton for the position in 1995 after heading the Peace Corps. An outspoken Democrat and former New York politician, she has been a target of conservatives who have criticized her for using her position to advance a progressive stance on global reproductive health, sex education and children's rights, which conservatives believe take decisions out of parents' hands.

A U.N. official said yesterday that Veneman's political views on such issues remain "unknown."

Veneman declined any comment before the UNICEF board has formally confirmed her, except to say through her spokeswoman yesterday that she considered it "a great honor" to be Annan's choice.

UNICEF is the world body's largest and perhaps most widely known agency, with more than 7,000 staff members in 150 countries. It is charged with protecting the world's children and has organized massive vaccination campaigns, helped raise awareness of the number of children orphaned by AIDS and ensured care reaches young people in emergencies such as the Indian Ocean tsunami, in which more than half the victims were under 18.

Annan said he plans to remake his top team after the departure of several key members and criticism about U.N. management of the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq.

After a year of headlines about alleged corruption in the U.N. program, Annan indicated he will install a new team as he starts his final two years at the helm of the United Nations. He had already announced plans for a series of changes at the top, but yesterday's comments indicated plans for a more extensive shakeup.

Earlier this month, Annan said that Mark Malloch Brown, the administrator of the U.N. Development Program, would take over as chief of staff on Jan. 19 from his retired right-hand man, Iqbal Riza of Pakistan.

Annan said Malloch Brown, a media-savvy and highly respected former World Bank executive, would help lead initiatives to improve U.N. performance and overhaul its management.

Undersecretary-General for Management Catherine Bertini, who has been criticized by the U.N. Staff Union, and Controller Jean-Pierre Halbwachs are also leaving.

According to widespread reports, Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast will step down, and possibly replace the U.N.'s top Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, who left to head the International Peace Academy, a New York think tank.

Annan announced yesterday that Peter Hansen, the head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, the Palestinian relief agency, will also leave.

"I have made some changes and more are on the way," Annan said.

He said it was a combination of a management overhaul and the departure of key people.

"Several people were going to leave anyway ... so I decided to take a look at the whole team," he said. "It offered an opportunity to rethink the team and remake the team."

Annan said he also planned to take action after the release earlier this month of more than 50 internal audits of the oil-for-food program by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who is leading a probe into its operation.

The audits noted lapses in U.N. oversight and management, implying these could have led to Saddam Hussein's government skimming hundreds of millions of dollars from the program.

"I saw Mr. Volcker's comments on the audit reports which indicates we have work to do in the management area," Annan said.