PRESS CONFERENCE ON BURUNDI BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA

The Security Council fully supported the steps taken towards peace in Burundi, according to Jacob Zuma, Executive Deputy President of South Africa, Facilitator of the Peace Process in Burundi, and Vice-President of the African National Council.  Speaking at a press conference at Headquarters this evening, he explained that, despite that support, the Council had raised several concerns.

PRESS BRIEFING ON STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 2002

Women's access to contraception, information, and reproductive health services was vital in alleviating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals, Earth Institute Director Jeffrey Sachs told correspondents at a Headquarters briefing this morning.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

At a headquarters press conference this afternoon, Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, the new President of the Security Council for the month of December, outlined the Council’s work programme, including scheduled open meetings and its handling of Iraq’s disarmament programme.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY COMMANDER OF AFGHANISTAN INTERNATIONAL FORCE

If the international community left Afghanistan too early -- before there was a strong national army, before all opposition forces were demobilized, and before a strong police force was operational throughout the country -- Afghanistan could relapse into conflict, the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) warned today at a Headquarters press conference.

PRESS BRIEFING BY UNAIDS

Three million people died of AIDS and 5 million became infected with HIV last year, Cate Hankins, Associate Director of Strategic Information for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said at a press briefing this morning, part of the Headquarters observance of World AIDS Day.

PRESS BRIEFING BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UN DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN

Violence was a fact of life for millions of women around the world, devastating lives, destroying communities and impeding development, Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said at Headquarters this morning.

PRESS BRIEFING BY DEPUTY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR

At a Headquarters press briefing today, Carolyn M. McAskie, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), announced the launch of the Inter-agency Consolidated Appeals for 2003.  Being held in capitals around the world, the Appeals are $3 billion for 50 million beneficiaries in countries experiencing humanitarian crises.

PRESS BRIEFING BY HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR DEMOCRATIC

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA

With the food and humanitarian situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea deteriorating rapidly, the World Food Programme (WFP) was cutting back its food assistance to cover just 3 million people out of 6 million in need, Masood Haider, Humanitarian Coordinator for that country, said at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

HEADQUARTERS PRESS CONFERENCE BY HEAD OF UN IRAQ WEAPONS INSPECTION TEAM

At a Headquarters press conference today, Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) said the greatest challenge facing the Commission was to carry out an "effective" inspection of Iraq’s compliance with its disarmament obligations and to report factually to the Council.

PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION

The international community should assist developing countries in formulating and implementing strategies of innovation and learning in order to improve the contribution of industry to their sustainable development, correspondents were told this morning at a Headquarters press conference.