NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS 'PREVENTING DEADLY CONFLICT' TO BE THEME OF ONE-DAY FORUM AT HEADQUARTERS ON 5 FEBRUARY

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS 'PREVENTING DEADLY CONFLICT' TO BE THEME OF ONE-DAY FORUM AT HEADQUARTERS ON 5 FEBRUARY

The role of the United Nations in efforts to prevent deadly conflicts, of the kind that has bloodied nations such as Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Somalia, is among the topics to be discussed during a one-day forum to be convened in connection with the final report of the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, to be held at Headquarters on Thursday, 5 February, from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Conference Room 2.

Co-hosted by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Commission, the theme of the forum will be "The Centrality of the United Nations to Prevention and the Centrality of Prevention to the United Nations". The Secretary-General will deliver the keynote address.

Prior to the forum, at 11 a.m. in room S-226, Assistant Secretary- General for Public Information, Samir Sanbar, will moderate a press conference in which several members of the Commission will answer questions and discuss the findings of the Carnegie Commission's report.

The forum will consist of two sessions on the following themes: "The United Nations in Operational Prevention", to be chaired by former United States Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead; and "The United Nations in Structural Prevention", to be chaired by the President of the International Peace Academy and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, Olara A. Otunnu.

Among topics to be addressed at the first session are the roles of personal envoys, special representatives and "friends" of the Secretary- General in the context of preventive diplomacy. Scheduled to take part in the session is former United Nations Under-Secretary-General Brian Urquhart, who will speak on the theme "Developing a Security Council Rapid Reaction Capability". Also to be addressed is the question of strengthening economic sanctions, to be presented by the Professor of Diplomacy and International Affairs at Georgetown University, Donald F. McHenry.

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At the second session, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan, will present the theme "The Role of Governments and Good Governance in Prevention". Also to be discussed is the role of the international financial institutions in preventing the emergence or recurrence of violent conflict, following a presentation by the Jan Smuts Professor of International Relations (Designate), University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, John J. Stremlau.

Established in 1994 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Commission is an international body of 16 eminent policy-makers and scholars co-chaired by the President Emeritus of the Carnegie Corporation, David Hamburg, and former United States Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. Commissioners include former Prime Minister of Norway, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, seven former foreign ministers and former United Nations officials, all with long experience in conflict resolution and peacekeeping.

The final report analyses the current state of violent conflict in the world and lays out the Commission's vision of an international system of conflict prevention. Three fundamental observations form the foundation of the report, as follows: deadly conflict is not inevitable; the need to prevent such conflict is increasingly urgent; and successful prevention is possible.

Inspired by the public health model of disease prevention, the Commission outlines practical measures to prevent deadly conflict that can be used by governments, international organizations and the private sector. For conditions that have become dangerous, the Commission outlines options for early action to prevent mass violence. The report concludes by challenging the international community to create a "culture of prevention" that can become a commonplace of everyday life.

For further information, including scheduling of interviews with Commissioners, contact Kathy Veit, tel: (202) 332 7900, fax: (202) 332 1919, e-mail: kv@carnegie.org

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