PRESS CONFERENCE BY BRAZIL

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY BRAZIL

The Legion of Good Will, the first Brazilian organization to be associated with the Department of Public Information in the United Nations, announced today at a Headquarters' press conference that it is poised to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in Brasilia in January 2000. The Special Representative of the Legion of Good Will to the United Nations, Luciano Meira, said that about 150,000 guests were expected to attend the celebrations. Also this morning, the Legion introduced as its first Goodwill Ambassador, Hollywood actor and playwright, John Amos.

The Legion of Good Will is a major non-governmental organization with a focus on education and community development. Assisting over 3.1 million persons during 1998, it maintains its presence in 140 cities in Brazil and has offices in six countries worldwide -- Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Portugal and the United States.

Currently, the Legion was focusing attention on the northeast region of Brazil, which was experiencing severe drought, Mr. Meira said. He added that over 4 million kilograms of food had already been sent to that area.

Responding to a question, Mr. Amos said that his first official task as Goodwill Ambassador of the Legion would be to run his one-man show, Haley's Comet, as a fundraising event here in New York. He also said that he had already spoken with other celebrities and officials about the organization and the work it was doing. He was certain he could influence several of those persons to go with him to Brazil to perform in a major television event sometime in the future. He stated that the honour bestowed on him was greater than any other he had received during a career which had spanned some 30 years. He expressed his confidence at performing the tasks before him, and added that he relished the challenge.

Also present at the press conference this morning were Ambassador Flavio Miragaia Perri, Consul-General of Brazil in New York, and Maria Malamam, a representative of the Legion of Good Will.

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