Background Release                                         

THIRD SESSION OF PERMANENT FORUM ON INDIGENOUS ISSUES

TO MEET AT UN HEADQUARTERS, 10-21 MAY

Theme of Session:  ‘Indigenous Women’

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Fifth Committee

41^st Meeting (AM)

Economic and Social Council                                

2004 Organizational Session                                

12^th Meeting (PM)

Economic and Social Council                                

2004 Organizational Session                                

11^th Meeting (AM)

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL, LAUNCHING GLOBAL COMPACT IN ITALY, SAYS CORPORATE SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY HAS EVOLVED AS WORLD BUSINESS NETWORK HAS TAKEN ROOT

The following is the text of Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette address at the launch of the Global Compact in Rome today, 4 May:

Secretary-General says failure to stop biodiversity loss

toO awful to contemplate

Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, on 22 May:

Secretary-General urges all to recognize and support contributions of family,

in message on international day of families

Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message on the occasion of the International Day of Families, 15 May:

Secretary-General, in message to mark world press freedom day,

stresses need to get out good news, as well as bad

The following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s remarks on World Press Freedom Day, in New York today, 3 May 2004:

if evil must be named, it is ‘intolerance, exclusion’,

Secretary-General tells trinity institute conference

Following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message to the thirty-fifth National Conference of the Trinity Institute, in New York, 2 May:

SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS UNAIDS GLOBAL STAFF MEETING THAT PANDEMIC,

WHILE UNPRECEDENTED, IS NOT INSURMOUNTABLE

The following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s video message to the global staff meeting of UNAIDS at Martigny, 2-5 May:

I am so glad that you have all come together to take stock at this critical time in the fight against HIV/AIDS.