CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS OFFER BY KENYA TO HOST 2004 REVIEW CONFERENCE

ON CONVENTION PROHIBITING MINES

Conference Expresses Condolences

Over Assassination of Prime Minister of Serbia and Montenegro

(Reissued as received.)

Commission on Status of Women

Forty-seventh Session

12^th Meeting* (PM)

WOMEN’S COMMISSION APPROVES TEXTS ON ASSESSING UN GENDER POLICIES,

FUTURE WORK OF RESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN

Secretary-General Kofi Annan departed New York on Saturday, 8 March, and arrived in the Netherlands the following morning.

EXPERT PANEL ON ILLEGAL EXPLOITATION OF RESOURCES IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

TO BEGIN WORK IN NAIROBI ON 24 MARCH

TWO MILLION FACE SERIOUS FOOD SHORTAGES IN WEST AFRICA

Funds urgently needed for projects

in Cape Verde, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal

(Reissued as received.)

ROME, 13 March (FAO) -- Almost 2 million people are facing serious food shortages in five countries west of the Sahel, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday, as it renewed its appeal for funds for emergency projects in the area.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO HOLD SEVENTY-SEVENTH SESSION

IN GENEVA FROM 17 MARCH TO 4 APRIL 2003

Experts to Examine Reports of Estonia, Luxembourg and Mali

(Reissued as received.)

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO HOLD FIFTY-NINTH SESSION

AT PALAIS DES NATIONS FROM 17 MARCH TO 25 APRIL 2003

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 13 March (UN Information Service) -- The principal human rights organ of the United Nations will conduct its annual six-week session for 2003 from 17 March to 25 April.

                                                            GA/SM/309

Fifty-seventh General Assembly

Plenary

81^st Meeting (AM)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SETS DATES FOR ANNUAL REGULAR SESSION, GENERAL DEBATE

In a brief meeting this morning, the General Assembly, without a vote, amended its rules of procedure concerning the opening date of its annual regular session and decided on the day and duration of the session’s general debate. 

DEPUTY-SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES NEW YORK CITY’S MAYOR FOR ‘NEW ERA’

IN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UN AND ‘THIS GREAT WORLD CAPITAL’

Following are the remarks of Deputy-Secretary-General Louise Fréchette to the reception “To Celebrate the United Nations in New York”, hosted by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on 12 March:

It is a great pleasure to be here tonight.