ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN BOLIVIA, 12 – 15 NOVEMBER 2003
In the evening of Wednesday, 12 November, Secretary-General Kofi Annan flew to Bolivia, where he was met by the Foreign Minister, Juan Ignacio Siles. He landed at La Paz airport in the city of El Alto, one of the highest altitude cities in the world, and also the centre of the previous month’s protests against the Government, during which at least 70 demonstrators died in clashes with security forces. The Secretary-General was declared “Illustrious Guest” of El Alto by the Mayor, Jose Luis Paredes. In his remarks at the welcoming ceremony, the Secretary-General said that he knew the past weeks had not been easy for Bolivians but it was heartening to know that they had resolved their differences through constitutional means. He underlined the need to work for reconciliation and justice and added: “To address the very serious social and economic problems confronting your country, it is important to work to strengthen your democratic institutions, while upholding the rule of law. That is the only way to ensure peaceful development for the benefit of all Bolivians.” See Press Release SG/SM/9006.
Upon their arrival in La Paz, the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan were greeted by some 50 children who attend a public school called “Naciones Unidas”.
On Thursday morning, the Secretary-General attended a ceremony with the Mayor of La Paz, Juan del Granado, and the President of the City Council, Cristina Corrales, at which he was named “Illustrious Guest” of La Paz. Being told in passing by Ms. Corrales that the majority of the members of the City Council were women, the Secretary-General remarked that he was honoured to be in a city where that was the case.
The Secretary-General then met with the heads of the United Nations agencies, who briefed him on the broad areas of United Nations cooperation in the country, as well as on the status of the Millennium Development Goals in Bolivia. He went on to meet all United Nations staff members.
Later, at the Presidential Palace, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Condor of the Andes by Foreign Minister Juan Ignacio Siles del Valle. See Press Release SG/SM/9010.
He held a meeting with President Carlos Mesa Gisbert, after which they had a joint press encounter at the Palace.
He then attended a working lunch with the President and his Cabinet and laid a wreath to honour Bolivian independence fighter Pedro Domingo Murillo, while receiving military honours by a Bolivian peacekeeping battalion which served in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Late in the afternoon, the Secretary-General addressed Bolivia’s National Congress and went on to meet with some 30 indigenous leaders from all over the country. See Press Release SG/SM/9008.
In a separate programme, Nane Annan that afternoon visited a UNDP-supported project in a park in La Paz, which provides employment for recovering drug addicts, alcoholics and victims of domestic abuse.
On Thursday evening, the Secretary-General and his party flew with Bolivian President Carlos Mesa Gisbert to Santa Cruz, the site of the Ibero-American Summit.
Mr. Annan started his day on Friday by meeting the regional directors of the United Nations agencies. Following that, he met with the Bolivian opposition Congressman, Evo Morales.
In a press conference, the Secretary-General said that his visits to Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia were a sign of his determination to pay greater attention to the area. He noted that democracy must be strengthened in the region, through the rule of law, greater political participation and a drastic reduction in poverty and inequality. The Secretary-General said that the international community needed to offer the region greater social investment and debt alleviation. “These countries need some breathing space”, he said.
The Secretary-General held a number of bilateral meetings that morning –- with the Foreign Minister of Chile, Soledad Alvear Valenzuela, and with the former President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso. The latter chairs the Secretary-General’s Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations Relations with Civil Society. He then held separate meetings with the Presidents of Colombia, Honduras, Brazil and Venezuela –- Alvaro Uribe Vélez, Ricardo Maduro Joest, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Hugo Chávez Frías.
At 5 p.m., he attended the official gathering of the heads of State and government and first ladies who were participating in the Summit. This was followed by the formal opening of the Ibero-American Summit, during which the Secretary-General addressed the participants. See Press Release SG/SM/9011.
After that, he resumed bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Spain, José María Aznar, and with the President of Mexico, Vicente Fox.
On Friday evening, Mr. Annan attended a dinner hosted by President Carlos Mesa Gisbert.
The Secretary-General returned to New York on Saturday, 15 November.