ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN PERU, 10-12 NOVEMBER 2003
Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Lima, Peru, late on Monday night, 10 November, where he was greeted by the Foreign Minister, Alan Wagner.
After meeting the staff, the Secretary-General travelled to meet the President of Peru, Alejandro Toledo, in Villa El Salvador, a poor district south of Lima, which grew out of the massive rural exodus of the 1970s. They were greeted by thousands of people. While there, they reviewed a series of job-creation projects, established with the assistance of the international community to alleviate poverty. In a series of impromptu remarks, the Secretary-General said: “The fight against poverty doesn’t only mean putting food on the table -- it means education and health, and inclusion and participation by the poor, in deciding that which affects their future”.
The Secretary-General and President Toledo then held a one-on-one meeting at the Presidential Palace, following which the United Nations delegation met with the Council of Ministers. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed regarding Peru’s wish to contribute to peacekeeping stand-by arrangements. The Secretary-General then received the highest order of Peru, “the Order of the Sun”, and attended a press conference with President Toledo. (For text of the Secretary-General’s remarks see Press Release SG/SM/9001 of 12 November).
On Tuesday afternoon, the Secretary-General met with representatives of Peruvian human rights organizations.
That evening, he addressed parliamentarians at the National Congress. (For text of the Secretary-General’s address see Press Release SG/SM/9002 of 12 November).
In a separate programme, Mrs. Nane Annan visited a school in a poor neighbourhood of Lima, where child drop-out rates have been almost eliminated through a mentoring programme by adolescent students at the same school. This is a UNICEF-supported project that benefits some 17 thousand children every year. In the evening, Mrs. Annan met with an organization of women with living with AIDS, called “Solas pero Unidas”, (“Alone but United”).
On the second day of his trip to Peru, the Secretary-General flew with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo from Lima to the highland city of Cuzco. They were welcomed by the Mayor of the city and the President of the Cuzco region after which they attended a ceremony of indigenous dance and music. The Secretary-General was named “Illustrious Guest” of Cuzco and “Honourable Guest” of the region and awarded the keys to the city, in the form of an Inca symbol of authority, culture and knowledge.
In his remarks, the Secretary General said that local authorities have a key role to play in bringing people’s everyday concerns to the attention of national and global policy makers, and in mobilizing them to implement policies once they are decided on. He told those gathered that he was glad to be in Cuzco, a city which had so much to offer the world and he added, “I want to encourage you to maintain your admirable engagement with the urgent issues of our time -– I am referring, for example, to the contribution that the heritage, knowledge and traditions of the indigenous peoples of Peru, and indigenous peoples everywhere, can make to the world’s quest for sustainable development, as was recognized in the Plan of Action adopted at the Johannesburg Conference”. (For text of the Secretary-General’s statement see Press Release SG/SM/9004 of today’s date).
The Secretary-General and President Toledo then left Cuzco, by helicopter for the town of Aguas Calientes, from where they proceeded, by road to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, situated at 1800 metres above sea level.
While there, the Secretary-General spoke of the enormous contributions of indigenous peoples to human civilization, but he also called attention to the fact that these communities suffered prejudice, poverty, disease, and even the threat of extinction. He said the situation of indigenous children was particularly disturbing and he referred to a soon-to-be released UNICEF report which showed unacceptably high rates of infant mortality, and low levels of birth registration, vaccination and education among indigenous communities. He added “The international community can no longer tolerate this situation. Nor should any society where this is happening”. (For text of the Secretary-General’s statement see Press Release SG/SM/9005 of today’s date).
On Wednesday evening, the Secretary-General travelled to the Bolivian capital of La Paz, the last leg of his four-country Latin America trip, which culminates tomorrow, Friday 14 November, with the inauguration of the Iberoamerican Summit.