ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN BELGIUM, 12-15 MAY
The Secretary-General left New York for Belgium on Saturday, 12 May. On arrival in Brussels on Sunday, 13 May, he met in the afternoon first with Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and then with Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO). They discussed preparations for the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which he would address the following day.
On Monday morning the Secretary-General participated in the opening of the Conference. One tenth of the world’s population lives in those 49 countries, the Secretary-General said at the inaugural ceremony, people whose lives are “a continuous struggle”. They do not wish to live on charity, he said. “All they ask is to be given the same chance as the rest of us to earn their living and support their families. We are here to find ways of giving them that chance”. (See SG/SM/7801.)
The Conference was organized by UNCTAD and was hosted by the European Union.
It got under way with a special event, an interactive dialogue involving representatives of private companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as leaders of poor and rich countries alike.
The Secretary-General, who chaired the event, told the participants that “most poor people know that they are quite capable of earning their own living, by their own efforts, and are eager to do so”.
“But they must be given a fair chance to compete”, he added. “That applies to individuals. It applies to companies. And it applies to countries.”
He called for more countries to open their markets to products from the least developed countries, including by eliminating non-tariff barriers.
While recognizing that not all the objectives of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations had been achieved, he urged support for a new round of talks, arguing that it was in the best interest of the poor countries.
Those countries, he said, would also need technology, especially information technology, help in the fight against HIV/AIDS and more help with debt relief.
He asked the participants to ensure that this Conference, unlike its predecessors, marks “a real turning point in the every day life of poor people”. (See SG/SM/7802.)
In the margins of the Conference, the Secretary-General at midday met with French President Jacques Chirac. They spoke of the worrying situation in West Africa, especially the current conflict involving Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. They also touched on the encouraging trends in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And they discussed the latest efforts to fight the AIDS epidemic.
The Secretary-General then dropped in on the NGO Forum, a parallel conference by non-governmental organizations concerned with the agenda of the poorest countries.
He acknowledged recent successes of NGO efforts on behalf of the landmine ban, debt relief and the establishment of an International Criminal Court. He outlined his agenda for helping the poorest countries and asked for their support. “My biggest fear”, he said, "is that another conference is held in 10 years time and find the list of poorest countries even longer. I beg you not to let that happen”, he implored them. (See SG/SM/7804.)
The Secretary-General and his wife Nane then had an audience with their Majesties the King and Queen of the Belgians, Albert II and Paola.
The Secretary-General and his wife then attended a luncheon hosted by the King and Queen.
After lunch, the Secretary-General met with Louis Michel, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
He then attended a ceremony for the award of the King Baudouin International Development Prize, given each year for sustainable achievement in improving the lives of people in the developing world.
The award is accompanied by a cash gift of €150,000 ($135,000). The Secretary-General made remarks at a reception for the laureates after the ceremony. (See SG/SM/7805.)
On Monday evening, he attended a working dinner at the Council of the European Union for the Foreign Ministers of the Union, hosted by the Foreign Minister of Sweden, Anna Lindh. He, Minister Lindh and Javier Solana, the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, briefly addressed the press beforehand. At the dinner meeting, which was the first time the European Union Ministers had had a working dinner with an outside guest, they discussed joint European Union-United Nations approaches to conflict prevention, and also regional issues in the Middle East and the Balkans.
The Secretary-General departed Brussels for Moscow early on Tuesday morning, 15 May.