ACTIVITIES OF SECRETARY-GENERAL IN ETHIOPIA, 15-17 NOVEMBER

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Wednesday afternoon, November 15, from Nairobi, Kenya.

On Thursday morning, he began the day by attending the Fifth African Development Forum, concerning youth and leadership in the twenty-first century.

He said that, today, thanks largely to the vision and political will that emerged from four United Nations summits over the past six years, official development assistance is breaking through the $100 billion barrier, and a set of agreed goals -- the Millennium Development Goals -- is supported by all major development actors.

The Secretary-General urged African leaders to do more to achieve key development targets, saying that Africa now understands that development is first and foremost an African priority.  But, he added: “I'm afraid that countries actually walking the walk, and not just talking the talk, are still the exception rather than the rule.”  (See Press Release SG/SM/10742.)

He held a bilateral meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and then attended a tree planting ceremony in a park across the street from the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) with the Mayor of Addis Ababa, a city the Secretary-General lived in for six years early in his career at the United Nations.  He received a golden key to the city.

After that event, he signed, with the African Union Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konaré, the Declaration on Enhancing African Union-United Nations Cooperation and launched the ECA Business Plan.  (See Press Release SG/SM/10743.)

Before leaving ECA headquarters for the African Union headquarters for a series of meetings on Darfur, the Secretary-General attended a farewell meeting with United Nations staff in Addis Ababa.

In two meetings prior to the high-level meeting on Darfur, the Secretary-General first met with representatives of the permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States -- and then separately with African Union representatives.

The high-level meetings, which he co-chaired with Mr. Konaré, aimed at moving the international community and the Sudan forward on ways to protect the people of Darfur, started at 3 p.m.

The meeting was divided into three committees and discussed the following three topics: the requirement to re-energize the peace process, establishing a strengthened ceasefire and the way forward for peacekeeping in Darfur.  While the committees did their work, he resumed his programme in Addis Ababa and attended a joint Economic Commission for Africa/African Union Commission ceremony in his honour.

At the ceremony, the Secretary-General heard tributes from African Union Commission Chairman Konaré and President Zenawi, and heard a solo performance by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo of Benin and other musical performances by African artists, and watched Ethiopian traditional dances.

Following the ceremony, the Secretary-General resumed the plenary of the Darfur high-level meeting.

Around midnight, some nine hours after the meeting first started, the Secretary-General held a news conference and read the conclusions and described the meeting as “very constructive”.

The Secretary-General left Addis Ababa for Geneva on Friday morning, 17 November.