7 November 20001

HEADQUARTERS PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION

PRESS BRIEFING ON UN POPULATION FUND'S 2001 WORLD POPULATION REPORT

At a Headquarters press briefing this morning, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Thoraya Obaid, announced the launching of the UNFPA State of the World Population 2001 report, Footprints and Milestone.  Ms. Obaid was introduced by Abubakar Dungus, who told corespondents the report had been launched in 20 developed countries and 70 developing countries.

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

**Opening

HEADQUARTERS PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR

FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN

International involvement in Afghanistan had opened the possibility for social, political and humanitarian change to bring Afghans together and rebuild their country, said Kamal Hossein, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, in a press conference this morning at Headquarters.

PRESS BRIEFING BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR DISARMAMENT

Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, told correspondents today at a Headquarters press briefing that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a long-held demand of the disarmament community, was an effective legal barrier against nuclear proliferation and, to that extent, had made it less likely that terrorists would get their hands on nuclear weapons.

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Fred Eckhard, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, and Jan Fischer, Spokesman for the President of the General Assembly.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General

**Opening

PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT

Everything possible should be done to ensure that the present generation of Afghan children and youth would be the last generation exposed to conflict within their country, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, said at a Headquarters press briefing today to mark the issuance of a special appeal for the children and youth of Afghanistan.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY HUMAN RIGHTS RAPPORTEUR ON MYANMAR

PRESS CONFERENCE BY EUROPEAN UNION

At a Headquarters press conference today, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium and President of the Council of the European Union, Louis Michel, said that the Union had made extraordinary progress towards becoming a major partner in the international arena.  Now it must strengthen European policy towards joint security and defence, in order to implement its external policy.