ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL IN GENEVA 23-24 NOVEMBER

Press Release
SG/T/2210

ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL IN GENEVA 23-24 NOVEMBER

The Secretary-General arrived in Geneva from Ankara shortly after noon on Tuesday, 23 November. His first meeting was with Sadako Ogata, High Commissioner for Refugees, who reported to him on her recent visit to Moscow and the northern Caucasus as his Special Envoy. He and she subsequently met with United Nations agency representatives in Geneva to discuss coordination of humanitarian relief for the northern Caucasus.

The Secretary-General then launched the Consolidated Inter-agency Appeals for the Year 2000. In his statement (SG/SM/7231), the Secretary- General called on the international community to provide $2.4 billion for humanitarian assistance. Generous and timely response to these appeals will enable United Nations humanitarian agencies and partners to address the needs of 34 million less fortunate persons in 14 complex emergencies around the world.

Saying that the appeals are the last to be launched in the twentieth century, the Secretary-General noted: "It is a century that has seen the very best and worst behaviour. It has seen humanitarian principles take form and take hold, and it has seen them egregiously violated and ignored. Its history will be written in blood as much as in the ink of our United Nations Charter".

Later that afternoon, the Secretary-General met with Eddy Boutmans, Secretary of State for Development Cooperation of Belgium.

The Secretary-General then held a news conference with Carolyn McAskie, Officer-in-Charge of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and Sadako Ogata, High Commissioner for Refugees. When asked if he was hopeful that he would get all the money he was looking for he said, “We need it desperately”. (For the text of this press conference, see SG/SM/7232.)

The Secretary-General later met with Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director- General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Before departing Geneva on Wednesday morning, the Secretary-General met with Jean-Christian Cady, the new Deputy Special Representative for East Timor, whose appointment was announced on 23 November. He then met with his new Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kamel Morjane. His last appointment before departing for the airport was with Carl Bildt, his Special Envoy for the Balkans.

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