ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., 2-3 DECEMBER
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Nane Annan left New York on Sunday, 2 December, late in the afternoon for Washington, D.C., where that evening they attended the Kennedy Center Honors gala.
The Center honoured opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, musician Quincy Jones, actress Julie Andrews, and actors Van Cliburn and Jack Nicholson. The Secretary-General paid tribute to Pavarotti, who is one of his Messengers of Peace. He told the audience that Pavarotti’s concern for people in need –- and particularly for children affected by armed conflict –- had helped heal countless human lives. He also said that the singer “personified the mission stated in the United Nations Charter: ‘to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’.” (See Press Release SG/SM/8058.)
In the margins of the Kennedy Center event, the Secretary-General had the opportunity to discuss with President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell the weekend’s tragic events in the Middle East.
On Monday morning, the Secretary-General went to the Library of Congress. There he received the 2001 William J. Fulbright Prize for International Understanding for his work in conflict resolution and his promotion of international cooperation and peace. The Fulbright Prize was established in 1993 and it comes with a $50,000 award.
Several speakers made remarks and paid tribute during the award ceremony. Among them: John Negroponte, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Patricia Harrison, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, and Lee Hamilton, Chairman of the 2001 Fulbright Prize Selection Committee.
In his own remarks, the Secretary-General said that the Fulbright exchange programme was a model of the dialogue among cultures and civilizations that the United Nations is promoting worldwide. “Without this dialogue taking place every day among all nations we will not be able to overcome the wounds of 11 September,” he added (see Press Release SG/SM/8061).
The Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan returned to New York, after a luncheon which followed the award ceremony.