MAJOR CHALLENGE:  HOW TO MAKE CIVILIZATION WORK FOR WORLD’S PEOPLE,

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO INDIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE FEDERATION

Following is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in New Delhi on 15 March:

SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES INDIA’S PEACEKEEPING CONTRIBUTIONS

IN REMARKS AT NEW DELHI TRAINING CENTRE

Following are the remarks of Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the United Services Institution of India in New Delhi on 15 March:

SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES HOPE THAT ALL PEOPLES CAN UNITE

IN CELEBRATING FULL DIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE

Following are remarks by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on laying the Foundation Stone for the Centre of International Mother Language Studies in Dhaka, Bangladesh:

SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS FOR BREAK IN POLITICAL STALEMATE OVER ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Following is a text of a statement titled “Sustainable Development: Humanity’s biggest challenge in the new century” made today in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

It is a great honour for me to join you today.  My wife, my team and I have received a very warm welcome, and we thank you all for making us feel very much at home.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Kathmandu in the evening of Monday, 12 March.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan departed New York on Friday morning, 9 March, to begin a four-nation tour of Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and India.

ACCESS TO SAFE WATER FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN NEED, BASIC HUMAN RIGHT,

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE ON WORLD WATER DAY

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on World Water Day, which is observed 22 March:

Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and, therefore, a basic human right.  Contaminated water jeopardizes both the physical and social health of all people.  It is an affront to human dignity.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS DAY FOR ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

CELEBRATES STEPS WORLD HAS TAKEN TO FREE ITSELF FROM RACIAL HATRED

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is observed on 21 March:

SECRETARY-GENERAL SALUTES PAKISTAN’S UN CONTRIBUTIONS, OFFERS SUPPORT

FOR EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH DEMOCRACY, IN TOAST AT ISLAMABAD BANQUET

Following is the text of the toast delivered by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the official dinner banquet hosted by the Chief Executive, General Perez Masharraf, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on 11 March:

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY CONCERNED AT RAPIDLY DETERIORATING

FLOOD SITUATION IN MOZAMBIQUE

Appeals to Governments and Private Sector to Respond Urgently

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