ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HUMANITARIAN SEGMENT AT HEADQUARTERS FROM 19 TO 21 JULY

Press Release
ECOSOC/5914
IHA/712

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HUMANITARIAN SEGMENT AT HEADQUARTERS FROM 19 TO 21 JULY

NEW YORK, 18 JULY (OCHA) -- A series of events will be taking place linked to the Economic and Social Council humanitarian affairs segment, being held at Headquarters from 19 to 21 July, which may be of interest to the media.

On 19 July, as the first formal event of the segment, a panel will be held in the Economic and Social Council Chamber, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the subject of displaced persons. This panel will be chaired by Vladimir Sotirov, Vice- President of the Council, and moderated by Carolyn McAskie, Emergency Relief Coordinator a.i.

The panelists will include Sadako Ogata, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Paul Grossrieder, Director General, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); Carol Bellamy, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director; and Francis Deng, Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons. In addition, the Humanitarian Coordinators from Angola, Zoraida Mesa; the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Martin Mogwanja; and Georgia, Marco Borsotti; will be making presentations on the situation of displaced persons in these countries.

A second panel will be held starting at 3 p.m. with a discussion on natural disasters and technology, to be chaired by Mr. Sotirov and moderated by Catherine Bertini, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP). Ms. McAskie will be present, as will the Resident Coordinators of Mozambique, Emmanuel Dierckx De Casterle; of Turkey, Alfredo Witschi-Cestari; and of Venezuela, Ricardo Tichauer. The panelists will include Sergio Camacho, Office of Outer Space Affairs; Pablo Recalde, WFP; and Andrew Maskrey, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Following these events at the Council, an informal panel on Traumatic Stress in Humanitarian Emergencies, to be moderated by Ms. McAskie, will be held in Conference Room 5, from 6:15 - 7:45 p.m. Matthew Friedman, Executive Director of the United States National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, will open the discussion by making a presentation on traumatic stress among peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel. Joop de Jong, Director of the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization, will talk about traumatic stress as experienced by refugees and internally displaced persons. These remarks will be followed by observations by Shekhar Saxena, World Health Organization (WHO); Jean Claude Legrand, UNICEF; and Marie de la Soudiere, International Rescue Committee.

On 20 July, the General Debate of the Humanitarian Segment will start at 10 a.m. in the Council Chamber. Ms. McAskie will open the debate by delivering a statement introducing the report of the Secretary-General on strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations (A/55/82 - E/2000/61). Statements will be delivered by representatives of Governments and international organizations.

Also on 20 July, Ms. McAskie, together with Mr. Grossrieder, will launch a publication of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Humanitarian Action in the 21st Century, following the noon press briefing in room 226. The book provides a glimpse into the thinking of the executive heads of the 16 leading agencies and non-governmental organizations consortia that constitute the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), and are responsible for ensuring unified decision-making in response to complex emergencies.

Following the book launch, an informal briefing will be held, from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in conference room 6, on the use of space technology to meet the needs stemming from natural disasters. Speakers will be present from the Office of Outer Space Affairs, Sergio Camacho, and the United States National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Jane D'Aguanno.

For further information, please call 963-1608 or 963-2380.

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