The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Briefing Guests -- Joseph Connor and Toshiyuki Niwa
Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), briefed correspondents today at Headquarters on the preparations under way for the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, which is scheduled to be held in Brussels from 14 to 20 May 2001.
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Global Compact
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Lebanon
Massive aid programmes could help African countries break out of the aid dependency trap, the Deputy-Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Carlos Fortin, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning as he introduced UNCTAD's new report "Capital Flows and Growth in Africa".
The following is a near-verbatim of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General:
**Lebanon
Ways to monitor the implementation of commitments made by organizations and businesses taking part in the Global Compact were explored during a press conference given by a panel of corporate and non-governmental leaders held at United Nations Headquarters on 26 July.
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Manoel Almeida e Silva, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.
**Security Council Consultations
