PRESS BRIEFING BY UNICEF

Economic growth did not necessarily translate into better lives for young people in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Baltics, correspondents at Headquarters were told this afternoon by a panel launching The Social Monitor, a new, annual report on conditions for youth in the region.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFGHANISTAN

At a Headquarters press conference this afternoon, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, said that while many serious problems remained in Afghanistan, he was hopeful that peace would be consolidated, and reconstruction would take place.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY QUARTET

Opening a press conference this morning by the members of the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East*, Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced a three-phase "roadmap" to achieve, within three years, a comprehensive and long-lasting Israeli-Palestinian settlement.

HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING:  LAUNCHING OF 'WORLD INVESTMENT REPORT 2002'

Global flows of investment funds dropped by half last year, according to the World Investment Report 2002, whose launch was announced by Georg Kell, Executive Head of the Global Compact in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, at a Headquarters press briefing this morning.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY MONGOLIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER

At a Headquarters press conference this afternoon, the Foreign Minister    of Mongolia, Luvsangiin Erdenechuluun, discussed preparations for the Fifth International Conference on New and Restored Democracies, to be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 18 to 20 June 2003.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN MINISTERS OF AUSTRALIA, NETHERLANDS AND JAPAN

At a Headquarters press conference following the Ministerial Meeting of States Parties to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), held at United Nations Headquarters, New York, on 14 September, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Alexander Downer, expressed deep concern that arms control and disarmament initiatives had been making little progress in Geneva.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY EUROPEAN UNION

The Foreign Minister of Denmark, speaking on behalf of the European Union Presidency, briefed correspondents on the Union's activities in New York at a Headquarters press conference today.  Per Stig Moeller said the European Union had been involved in discussions on Iraq, Afghanistan, the International Criminal Court and the situation in the Middle East.  European Union Commissioner, Chris Patten, also briefed correspondents.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA

At a Headquarters press conference today, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela responded to questions focused largely on his reaction to the attempted coup d'état in April and a possible attack against Iraq, including the projected effect on oil producing nations.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY EUROPEAN UNION

The fact that the United States had so strongly engaged with the United Nations on the problem of Iraq would significantly affect the outlook of European partners on the issue, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon. 

PRESS CONFERENCE BY FOREIGN MINISTER OF FRANCE

At a Headquarters press conference this afternoon, the Foreign Minister of France, Dominique de Villepin, outlined his country's initiative for the return of United Nations inspectors to Iraq according to a definite timetable and added that, if inspectors were refused, the Security Council should take measures without excluding any option.