MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS AMBITIOUS BUT TECHNICALLY FEASIBLE IN SHORT TIME

ALLOWED, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS ZHUHAI CONFERENCE

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the World Economic Development Declaration Conference in Zhuhai, China, (6 to 7 November), delivered by Khalid Malik, United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in China:

Background Release

COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS TO HOLD

THIRTY-FIRST SESSION FROM 10 TO 28 NOVEMBER

Will Consider Reports of Republic of Moldova, Yemen,

Guatemala, Russian Federation and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

(Reissued as received.)

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

First Committee

23^rd Meeting (PM)

DISARMAMENT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 2006 CONFERENCE TO REVIEW PROGRESS

AGAINST ILLICIT SMALL ARMS TRADE, AS IT CONCLUDES SESSION

EXISTING LAWS NOT SUFFICIENT TO ADDRESS DANGER POSED TO ENVIRONMENT BY CONFLICT,

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS IN INTERNATIONAL DAY MESSAGE

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the International Day for Preventing Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, 6 November:

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Plenary

58^th Meeting (AM)

AFRICAN COUNTRIES CALL FOR CONTINUED ASSISTANCE TO DEAL WITH LANDMINES,

AS GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES MINE ACTION DISCUSSION

HIGHLIGHTS OF FAO FOOD OUTLOOK FOR NOVEMBER 2003

(Reissued as received.)

ROME, 6 November (FAO) -- A preview of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food outlook for November 2003 in English only has been issued for immediate use on FAO's Web site at 12:00 PM CET today, Thursday, 6 November.

The food outlook URL is:  http://www.fao.org/giews/english/fo/fotoc.htm.

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES PLANNED MEETING ON COTE D’IVOIRE

Following is a statement issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

General Committee

4^th Meeting (AM)

GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS DEFERRAL OF QUESTION OF COMORIAN ISLAND

OF MAYOTTE TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY’S FIFTY-NINTH SESSION

Background Release

COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE TO HOLD THIRTY-FIRST SESSION

AT PALAIS DES NATIONS FROM 10 TO 21 NOVEMBER

Experts Scheduled to Consider Reports

From Colombia, Morocco, Latvia, Lithuania, Yemen and Cameroon

(Reissued as received.)

FOLLOWING ARE SUMMARIES OF STATEMENTS MADE TO TODAY’S SECOND COMMITTEE (ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL).  A COMPLETE SUMMARY OF TODAY’S MEETING WILL APPEAR AFTER THE MEETING’S CONCLUSION AS PRESS RELEASE GA/EF/3061.

Background