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.

UN HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT WORSENING

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION IN BAIDOA

(Reissued as received.)

NAIROBI, 12 March (OCHA) -- United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Maxwell Gaylard is deeply concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in and around Baidoa, where fighting for control of the town has disrupted aid activities for more than eight months.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SHOCKED, SADDENED AT ASSASSINATION OF

SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER DJINDJIC

The following statement was issued today by the spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

PROGRESS IN CONSOLIDATING AFRICA’S PEACE SETS STAGE FOR HARD WORK AHEAD,

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE TO TOKYO CONFERENCE

Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message to the “In Search of the Consolidation of Peace in Africa” conference delivered by his Special Adviser on Africa, Ibrahim Gambari, in Tokyo on 12 March:

PRESS STATEMENT BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

ON ASSASSINATION OF SERBIA’S PRIME MINISTER

Following is the press statement on the assassination of the Serbian Prime Minister, delivered today by Security Council President Mamady Traoré (Guinea):

Security Council

4717^th Meeting (Resumed) (PM)

SECURITY COUNCIL HEARS FROM 53 SPEAKERS IN TWO DAYS ON IRAQ’S DISARMAMENT;

SOME STRESS IRAQ HAS NOT COOPERATED, MOST SAY INSPECTORS NEED MORE TIME