PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIR OF WOMEN’S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE

Briefing correspondents at Headquarters today just ahead of tomorrow’s conclusion of the thirtieth session of the Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee, Chairperson Ayse Feride Acar (Turkey) said that the persistence of discriminatory stereotypes and entrenched patriarchal attitudes had led to grave and systematic violations of women’s human rights across a whole spectrum of nations.

PRESS BRIEFING BY POPULATION DIVISION DIRECTOR

During a press briefing at United Nations Headquarters today, the world body’s top population demographics official warned that with more and more people leaving their homes in search of a better life for themselves and their families, a key challenge for our world in the twenty-first century would be finding ways better manage migration.

PRESS BRIEFING BY OUTGOING COMMANDER OF FORCE MONITORING ISRAEL-SYRIA CEASEFIRE

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) would celebrate

30 years of successful service on 31 May, Major-General Franciszek Gagor (Poland), the outgoing commander, said at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY-GENERAL, BARBADOS +10 CONFERENCE

Small island developing States urgently needed the concerted efforts of the international community to shield them from forces that were beyond their control, Anwarul Chowdhury, the Secretary-General of the Barbados +10 Conference on Small Islands, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference today.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY ADMINISTRATOR, COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY IN IRAQ

There had been broad agreement on the importance of the United Nations resuming its role in Iraq and on the ways in which the Iraqi people could regain their full sovereignty, L. Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, said this afternoon.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY JALAL TALABANI, MEMBER OF IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL

Jalal Talabani, member of the Iraqi Governing Council, briefed correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon on a range of issues, including the formation of an interim Iraqi Government to take over from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) at the end of June.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT OF FRANCE

International action was an essential part of any environmental policy today because no country could pursue its environmental policy by itself, Serge Lepeltier, Minister for Ecology and Sustainable Development of France, said at a Headquarters press conference today.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL MEDIA AIDS INITIATIVE

“The media can save more lives than physicians can”, Peter Piot, Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), told correspondents this afternoon at a Headquarters press conference, following the launch of the Global Media AIDS Initiative.  Several leaders of media corporations participated, as well, with Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, moderating.

PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LIBERIA

PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT

Briefing journalists in advance of next week’s Security Council debate on children and armed conflict, Special Representative of the Secretary-General Olara Otunnu expressed the hope that, on 20 January, the Council would take concrete action to protect children in situations of armed conflict, sending a clear message that violations of their rights would not be tolerated.