HUMAN TRAFFICKING ONE OF MOST EGREGIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS,

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE TO ABUJA CONFERENCE

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, delivered on his behalf by Mbaya Kankqenda, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Coordinator, to the first Pan-African Conference on Human Trafficking in Abuja, Nigeria, on 19 February:

SECRETARY-GENERAL NOTES WORRYING DECLINE IN ASSISTANCE TO PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

Following is the text of a message from Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the opening today of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People in Vienna, delivered on the Secretary-General’s behalf by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast:

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS ON GOVERNMENTS TO TAKE UP AIDS CHALLENGE

Seeks Global Commitment to Reverse AIDS Spread

Declaring the HIV/AIDS epidemic “the most formidable development challenge of our time”, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a report released today, calls on governments to secure a global commitment for intensified and coordinated action.

Security Council

4278^th Meeting (AM)

SECURITY COUNCIL ADDRESSES COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PEACE-BUILDING

IN PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT

Statement Deals with, among Others, Integrated Strategy,

Interrelationship among Peacekeeping, Peacemaking, Peace-building

ASIAN PREPARATORY MEETING FOR WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM BEGINS IN TEHRAN

GENEVA, 20 February (UN Information Service) -- The Asian regional preparatory meeting for the World Conference against Racism began in Tehran on

PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR ‘ISTANBUL +5’ OPENS IN NAIROBI

(Received from a UN Information Officer.)

UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS CONCLUDES EIGHTEENTH SESSION

UNITED NATIONS SEMINAR ON ASSISTANCE TO PALESTINIAN PEOPLE OPENS IN VIENNA

(Received from a UN Information Officer.)

VIENNA, 20 February -- "The dramatic upheavals of the past several months and the tragic loss of life have underlined the urgency of reaching a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine", Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today at the opening of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People.

UN FORUM ON FORESTS CONCLUDES ORGANIZATIONAL SESSION,

DECIDES TO LOCATE SECRETARIAT IN NEW YORK

The recently established United Nations Forum on Forests decided on Friday to locate its secretariat in New York.  The decision was taken as the Forum finished up a week-long organizational session and informal consultations to set a new approach towards international forest policy.

Biographical Note

NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

Serbini Ali, the new Permanent Representative of Brunei Darussalam to the United Nations, presented his credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday, 16 February.