ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND CALIFORNIA 9 TO 11 JUNE
Secretary-General Kofi Annan departed New York on Friday afternoon, 9 June, for Washington, D.C., where he delivered a keynote address that evening to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. In his statement, he discussed the importance of tolerance and dialogue and the need for shared values among the world's people. (See Press Release SG/SM/7439/Rev.1.)
On Saturday morning, 10 June, the Secretary-General departed the Washington, D.C., area for California. That evening he was a guest at Stanford University's commencement reception and dinner.
On Sunday, 11 June, the Secretary-General delivered the commencement speech at Stanford University Stadium in front of some 26,000 people. In introducing the Secretary-General, the President of Stanford University, Gerhard Casper, said that Mr. Annan's speech would carry with it a message of wisdom and optimism about "what it will mean to be a citizen of the world in the next millennium". Indeed, the Secretary-General challenged the students: "Am I telling you to choose a life of activism and engagement in public affairs? Yes I am."
In his speech, he urged the graduates and their generation to "take the lead in safeguarding the global environment". He said that the need for sustainable development has failed to register on the political radar screen yet the challenges are serious. He said that weather patterns have become more volatile and extreme as the warming trend has accelerated, with economic losses from natural disasters totalling some $100 billion just in the last year alone. The Secretary-General warned, "We are in a race against time. (See Press Release SG/SM/7445.)
That afternoon, Nane Annan previewed her forthcoming book, The United Nations: Come Along with Me! at an event at the Hewlett-Packard Corporate Headquarters in Palo Alto. Written for children and published by the American Forum for Global Education, the book, to be published in the Summer, is a child's introduction to the work of the United Nations, as shown through the travels of Mrs. Annan. The Secretary-General was present for part of the event, which was organized by the Commonwealth Club, and was attended by students from schools in the area.
The Secretary-General later attended a private reception to support the efforts of Roots of Peace, a California-based non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of landmines. This project will help war-torn countries and their citizens begin to rebuild their lives and economic futures, by transforming demined land into land for agricultural use. Roots of Peace's first project will start with a minefield in Croatia. (See Press Release SG/SM/7442/Rev. 1.)
On Sunday evening, the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan were guests of Scott Cook, the founder and Chairman of Intuit, a software company, at a dinner with about 10 Silicon Valley executives in Palo Alto. The Secretary-General had an exchange with those executives on how to work together as part of his "Digital Bridges" initiative, detailed in the Millennium Report, to bring together digital expertise from the public and private sectors
The Secretary-General returned to New York on Monday afternoon.