Press Release

OPEN, INCLUSIVE INFORMATION SOCIETY THAT EMPOWERS ALL PEOPLE

SHOULD BE GENEVA SUMMIT LEGACY, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL

Following are Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan’s remarks at the official welcome ceremony for the World Summit on the Information Society, hosted by Pascal Couchepin, President of Switzerland, in Geneva, 9 December:

World Electronic Media Forum

PM Meeting

WORLD ELECTRONIC MEDIA FORUM OPENS

UN Secretary-General Says Electronic Media

Are among Most Important Vehicles of Peace, Progress and Solidarity

(Reissued as received.)

COUNTRIES GATHER TO SIGN ON TO TOUGH NEW TREATY AGAINST CORRUPTION,

BEGINNING 9 DECEMBER IN MÉRIDA, MEXICO

(Reissued as received)

MÉRIDA, MEXICO, 8 December (UN Department of Public Information) -- More than 120 governments, most of them represented at the ministerial level, will meet in the southern Mexican city of Mérida for a signing conference for the first legally binding international agreement to attack corruption.

SECRETARY-GENERAL SHOCKED BY TERROR ATTACK IN MOSCOW

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

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GOAL IS ‘INFORMATION SOCIETY –- OPEN AND INCLUSIVE -– IN WHICH KNOWLEDGE EMPOWERS

ALL PEOPLE’, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL AT WORLD ELECTRONIC MEDIA FORUM

Following is the text of remarks by Secretary-GeneralKofi Annan at the opening ceremony of the World Electronic Media Forum in Geneva today:

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Second Committee

36^th Meeting (PM)

SECOND COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS PROCLAMATION OF INTERNATIONAL DECADE

ON ‘WATER FOR LIFE’, 2005-2015

Texts Also Approved on Palestinian Sovereignty over Natural

Resources, Coercive Economic Measures, UN-HABITAT, UNEP, Science for Development

‘HELLOWORLD’ MEDIA ART PROJECT, ON VIEW AT UN HEADQUARTERS ON 10 - 12 DECEMBER,

TO PROMOTE WORLD SUMMIT ON INFORMATION SOCIETY, HUMAN RIGHTS

LIBRARIES IN DENMARK, INDIA, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, UNITED STATES AND ZAMBIA

DESIGNATED UNITED NATIONS DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES

World Electronic Media Forum

Round Table

WORLD ELECTRONIC MEDIA FORUM ROUND TABLE DISCUSSES WORLD VIOLENCE-MEDIA VIOLENCE

(Reissued as received.)

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Plenary

72^nd Meeting (AM)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY DECIDES TO INCLUDE ITEM ON REPRODUCTIVE CLONING

IN ITS AGENDA FOR 59TH SESSION IN 2004

Decisions Taken on 17 Texts Concerning Legal Committee Issues,

Including Terrorism, Protection of UN Workers, International Trade Law