PRESS CONFERENCE ON ANNE FRANK DECLARATION

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE ON ANNE FRANK DECLARATION

Secretary-General Kofi Annan this morning became the first world leader to sign the Anne Frank Declaration, Gilian Walnes, Executive Secretary of the Anne Frank Educational Trust, announced at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon. The Declaration commits signatories "to work towards a better world, free of bigotry, in the new millennium".

Ms. Walnes said it was fitting that the Secretary-General should be the first signatory as he was a "beacon of hope as we watch him on his missions around the world". She said the Anne Frank Trust was set up in 1990 in the United Kingdom to perpetuate Otto Frank's wish that his daughter's diary be used as a general force for good in countering all forms of bigotry.

Present at the press conference were Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam, British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Buddy Elias, President of the Anne Frank Funds in Switzerland, who is the only direct living relative of Anne Frank; and Nic Creem, Coordinator of the Anne Frank Declaration. Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations, and Stewart Eldon, the Deputy Permanent Represent, were also present.

Ms. Mowlam also said it was important that the Secretary-General should be the first to sign the Declaration as the work of the United Nations reflected many of the principles Anne Frank stood for. She said Anne Frank's memory was one that many young people, particularly young girls, identified with. As the world looked towards the next millennium, it was important that the focus should be on the younger generation. "Anne Frank was a wonderful role model who stands for somebody who, with a very tough life, stood up for principles, stood for fairness, for justice and humanity". It was important to acknowledge and remember that, she added.

The Declaration was originally written for National Anne Frank Day, an educational programme of events which was held annually in the United Kingdom on Anne Frank's birthday in June, Ms. Walnes told the press. She said the Trust hoped that all world leaders would sign the Declaration between now and the next millennium. "It's a race against the clock to get as many world leaders as possible to sign the Declaration." She also said the Declaration was both a remembrance and to honour all children who had been killed in wars. Even more importantly, it was a document of resolution and resolve that "we will try to make a better world in the next century".

Replying to questions, Ms. Walnes said that during the Anne Frank Day citizens all over the United Kingdom were encouraged to plant an "Anne Frank Tree" of remembrance and resolve. She said the only thing Anne Frank saw from a window while in hiding for two years from the Nazis was a chestnut tree. It became her symbol of hope, as she wrote in her diary. The Anne Frank Educational Trust wanted to perpetuate that tree as a symbol of hope, and also as a memorial to innocent children who had died.

Frank Declaration Press Conference - 2 - 14 January 1999

Asked whether she thought the Declaration could help the peace process in Northern Ireland, Ms. Mowlam said that on one level, it could. It was important that symbols of confidence were built to help resolve conflicts, she added.

Ms. Walnes said that an Anne Frank Exhibition was currently touring Northern Ireland. Anne Frank's memory had an enormous power to draw people together and to unify them. "After all she was a teenager with extraordinary gifts", she said. Anne Frank was a very talented teenager, "but at the end of the day she was a very ordinary teenager". The concerns she wrote about and addressed in her diary "were the concerns of every teenager".

Mr. Creem, the Coordinator of the Anne Frank Declaration, told a questioner that there were plans for similar Anne Frank exhibitions to tour in the United States and some parts of Africa. One exhibition had been opened in South Africa by President Nelson Mandela. He also said that 22 members of the Anne Frank Educational Trust had travelled together from London to be present at this morning's signing ceremony.

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