NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS UNITED NATIONS TO LAUNCH MAJOR NEW INITIATIVE ON AFRICA

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS UNITED NATIONS TO LAUNCH MAJOR NEW INITIATIVE ON AFRICA

The United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa will be launched in New York on 15 March by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank.

The launching of the 10-year, multi-billion dollar programme of concrete actions aimed at providing renewed impetus to Africa's development will take place in the Economic and Social Council chamber at Headquarters at 10 a.m., followed immediately by a press conference at approximately 11:15 a.m. Other key participants in the New York launch include James Gustave Speth, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and co-chair of the Initiative's Steering Committee; Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); and Prabhakar Narvekar, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

The Economic and Social Council chamber will be linked via live satellite to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the seat of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), where Africa's response will be provided by Ethiopian Prime Minister and current OAU Chairman Meles Zenawi, and a representative of OAU Secretary-General Salim A. Aalim. K.Y. Amaoko, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and Steering Committee Co-Chair, will also take part in the proceedings. Launches also will be held in other major African and European capitals.

The Special Initiative is the United Nations system's most significant mobilization of support ever for the development of a continent's people, as well as its largest coordinated action. Implementation of the Initiative will require up to $25 billion, mostly from the reallocation of existing resources at the national and international level. The World Bank has agreed to lead in mobilizing the bulk of this funding, which will go primarily towards improving basic education and health in Africa. Peace-building, good governance, and water and food security are among the Initiative's other areas of emphasis.

For further information, please contact: UNDP Division of Public Affairs, tel: (212) 906-6709/5315, fax: (212) 906-5364; Africa Recovery, United Nations Department of Public Information, tel: (212) 963-6857, fax: (212) 963-4556; the Secretariat of the Special Initiative, tel: (212) 906- 5926/5695, fax: (212) 906-5423.

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