DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the General Assembly President.

Spokesman for Secretary-General

Good afternoon.

**Children’s Summit

At the start of the second day of the special session on children today, the Secretary-General addressed the Public-Private Partnership Dialogue, underlining the importance of public-private partnerships in building a better world.  He said that public-private partnerships have the power to help children in many ways and added that it was only by investing in children that we could build the healthy, prosperous and peaceful world we strive for.  He called on members of civil society to use their influence to lobby for debt relief, an increase in development assistance and “genuinely open markets, in which the countries of the developing world can compete freely and trade their way out of poverty.”

In a short while, the Secretary-General will host a luncheon for the heads of State and government attending the special session and later today, he will attend the concert “Change the World with Children -– a celebration of leadership”.  The rehearsal for this event takes place at 4 p.m. and is open to the press.  If you wish to attend, you should meet the DPI liaison person at the globe at the visitors' entrance no later than 3:45 p.m.

We will have the Secretary-General’s remarks at all the events for you, both in my office and on our Web site.

We have a rash of signings and ratifications of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols today.  The list is so large that I won’t go through all the details here, but we have them on a sheet of paper that you can get at my office.  One particularly welcome development is that today, the last Member State of the United Nations, which had not previously signed or ratified the Convention, Somalia, has now signed on.

**Middle East/UNRWA

At a meeting in Amman, Jordan, today, where 28 donor nations gathered, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that it would need an additional $70 million, over and above an earlier $117 million request, to meet the emergency humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza.  Following the recent Israeli military incursions, the Agency has had to draw on its existing, and over-stretched resources to tend to the wounded, and supply food, medicine and water to the areas that have been affected.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen said the recent incursions had led to the large-scale destruction of shelters, water supplies and electricity and sewage lines.  A large population of the refugees, he said, now “finds itself without the basic services and means of support for the minimum standards of life.”  He also criticized the almost complete closure of entry points to the Gaza Strip, which has hampered the Relief and Works Agency in its efforts to distribute food there.  Already, the Agency has had to cancel the distribution of emergency food aid in Gaza, planned for May 11, because food could not be brought into the area.

We have a press release with more information.

**Secretary-General’s Trip

Starting next Monday, the Secretary-General will start a week-long trip to Cyprus, Indonesia and East Timor.  He will visit Cyprus on the 14^th to the 16^th of May.  He will hold separate meetings on the 15th with His Excellency Mr. Glafcos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and His Excellency Mr. Rauf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader.  That evening he will host a dinner for them at the residence of the head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force In Cyprus (UNFICYP).  The following day, he will be paying a visit to UNFICYP before departing for Indonesia.  From 17 to 19 May, he will be in Indonesia, where he will meet with the President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, and Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda.  On 19 May, he will arrive at Dili to participate in the celebrations of the independence of East Timor -- we announced the details on that yesterday.  He will be back to New York on 22 May.

**Security Council

The Security Council is scheduled to hold consultations on Ethiopia and Eritrea at 4:30 p.m.  Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, is expected to brief on recent developments there.

**Afghanistan

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, met in Kabul today with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.  They reviewed developments in the Loya Jirga process, the International Security Assistance Force and the funding situation of humanitarian agencies, in particular, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme.  Both agencies are faced with increased demands due to the very fast pace of refugee returns and the increased nutritional needs of the Afghan population.  Brahimi thanked the Chancellor for the lead role Germany is playing in supporting the Ministry of the Interior to develop a new Afghan police force.

We also have briefing notes from Kabul today.  It contains updates on the situation in the north, the Loya Jirga process, and efforts to eradicate locust infestations.

**Sierra Leone

The Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande, has toured the towns of Kenema and Makeni (former strongholds of the Revolutionary United Front) to assess the general security situation in advance of the May 14 elections.  Opande cautioned the peacekeepers to maintain their vigilance.

As you know, the Security Council has given the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone wide-ranging security tasks for the upcoming May elections, stressing that holding them freely, fairly and transparently was vital to long-term stability.  Upon request, we have fact sheets on the United Nations’ role, voting system and the candidates, prepared by our office in Freetown.

**East Timor

In East Timor today, the Special Representative for the Secretary-General, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and East Timor Chief Minister Marí Alkatiri opened a new customs post and met with Indonesian officials from West Timor.  The post is in the town of Tonobibi, 100 km west of Dili.  The customs post will allow East Timorese officials to collect taxes, quarantine goods and handle immigration matters.

**Kosovo

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, Michael Steiner, today addressed the Kosovo Assembly, and shared with them some of the criticisms that Security Council members expressed last month about Kosovo’s progress.  “I hate to say that partly they are right,” he told the Assembly, noting criticisms on issues ranging from the lack of a multi-ethnic civil service to concerns about organized crime and the living conditions of minorities.  And he added some additional concerns, saying that Kosovo needs to unify the healthcare system and asking, “Why is there not one single woman in this Government?”

We have the full text of his address to the Kosovo Assembly upstairs.

**Budget

On budget news, Mongolia today became the 72nd Member State to pay its

2002 regular budget contribution in full with a payment of just over $11,000.

**Press Releases

One press release to highlight, from the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme.  They jointly announced the release of a report “Children in the New Millennium: Environmental Impact on Health”.  The report shows that 5,500 children die each day from diseases caused by consuming food and water that are polluted by bacteria.  Despite great strides made in the last 10 years to improve both children’s well-being and the environment, these alarming figures show that children are the greatest victims of environmental degradation.  We have a press release with more information.

**Press Conferences

And press conferences are too numerous to mention here, so we refer you to our Web site.  That is all I have for you.  Any questions before we go to Jan on the special session?

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Can you tell us anything further about the make-up of the Secretary-General’s new inquiry into Jenin and Israeli activities in the West Bank?

Answer:  No.  I have nothing new to add to what I said yesterday.

Question:  Have Israel and the Palestinian Authority been officially approached about their cooperation yet?

Answer:  Not yet, but we said that they would be, and I’ll let you know when those letters go out.

Spokesman for General Assembly President

Good afternoon.

Yesterday, on the first day of the special session on children, the Assembly heard statements by 24 heads of State or government, by 12 Vice-Presidents, Deputy Prime Ministers or Crown Princes, by 18 representatives at the ministerial level and by 3 heads of delegation.  Two children chosen by the Children’s Forum also addressed the plenary, as did the heads of two United Nations agencies.

This morning, we started out with the President of Zambia who will be followed by another 33 speakers, including the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). In the afternoon, there are again 32 speakers plus the Director-General of International Labour Organization (ILO) and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  By the way, if you haven’t already done so, please throw away the speakers list of 3 May.  It is out of date and the most up-to-date list is contained in the "Journal", but remember changes may still occur as we saw this morning when two speakers switched places.  On the 3 May list, there were

188 Member States inscribed to speak.  At the moment, at least, we have 189.  That means all Member States are scheduled to speak.

You may recall that that was also the case during the general debate in November last year, but in the end we were two short.  Otherwise, it would have been the first time that all Member States would have spoken in the general debate.  I am trying to find out if we have ever had all Member States speak during a special session but so far, I know that during the session on HIV/AIDS last year, 182 countries spoke.  I should also mention that if everything goes according to plan, then a good third of the speakers will be women.

During a press briefing this morning, which started 25 minutes late due to traffic, the President of Romania and the Prime Minister of Mongolia summarized the discussion that had taken place during round table 1 yesterday.  In an atmosphere that was described as positive and constructive, about 50 delegates spoke, as did two children from Uganda and New Zealand.  Education turned out to be the main theme with speakers emphasizing the need for universal, free and compulsory primary education, better teacher training and increased access to new technology, particularly the Internet.  Primary health care, immunization and adequate food and nutrition were also considered of vital importance.  Other speakers emphasized the role of the family and of interaction between generations. Concern was also expressed over the toll taken by HIV/AIDS and armed conflict.

Round table 2, which is co-chaired by the President of Finland and the President of Mexico, should wind up in about half an hour, and the two Presidents will summarize the discussion at 3 o'clock here in room 226.

Round table 3 will take place on Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m and will be co-chaired by the President of Zambia and the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal.  There will not be a press briefing after this round table, but we will try to make a summary available to you.

General Assembly President Han Seung-soo (Republic of Korea) presided over the opening of the second day of the special session this morning.  In the late afternoon, he will first meet with the Minister of Social Affairs of Myanmar, then with the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the State Councillor of China and finally with Princess Meryem of Morocco.

Any questions for me?

Question:  When did two speakers switch places?

Answer:  That was this morning.

Question:  The President of Mexico is scheduled to speak this afternoon, but he is giving a briefing at 3 p.m.   

Answer:  The list that I received this morning corresponds to the list in the "Journal".  Let us monitor that one.

Question:  A resolution was prepared for submission to the special session this morning.  I am wondering what is going on there.

Answer:  It is a draft resolution entitled “The situation of and assistance to Palestinian children” (document A/S-27/L.1).  That draft resolution may be introduced tomorrow.

Question:  Is this a routine situation?

Answer:  No.  It is at the request of a number of Member States.  You will notice, if you get a copy of that draft resolution, that it is sponsored by certain Member States.

Question:  Are they seeking a vote during the special session?

Answer:  Yes.  That is the way it looks at the moment.  If and when the draft resolution comes to a vote, it will be some time Friday.

Question:  What is the procedure there?  Who decides if it comes to a vote, or not.

Answer:  I will have to get back to you on that one, but it will be the Member States themselves.

Question:  What is the situation in continuing negotiations on the outcome documents?

Answer:  I will have to owe you an answer on that one, as well.  I have been trying to get hold of the person from the General Assembly President’s staff, who has been sitting in on those negotiations, but I have not been able to reach him.  That meeting should finish at 1.  They might continue under more informal circumstances later on.  I will have to get back to you on that one. 

Question:  Is the United States the only country that has not signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child?

Spokesman for the Secretary-General:  The United States had signed, and Somalia has now joined the United States as a signatory.  A number of other States ratified directly, without signing.  So anyway, the number of ratifications you have now includes all Member States, but two -- the United States and Somalia.

Question:  Did the United States sign and not ratify?

Answer:  The United States has signed, but not ratified. Somalia had neither signed, nor ratified.  Everyone else has ratified.  So now all Member States have signed as of today.

Thank you very much.

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