PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR ‘ISTANBUL +5’ OPENS IN NAIROBI

(Received from a UN Information Officer.)

UN FORUM ON FORESTS CONCLUDES ORGANIZATIONAL SESSION,

DECIDES TO LOCATE SECRETARIAT IN NEW YORK

The recently established United Nations Forum on Forests decided on Friday to locate its secretariat in New York.  The decision was taken as the Forum finished up a week-long organizational session and informal consultations to set a new approach towards international forest policy.

UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS CONCLUDES EIGHTEENTH SESSION

Commission for Social Development

Thirty-ninth Session

8^th Meeting (AM)

SITUATION OF FAMILIES DOMINATES SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

COMMISSION DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL GROUPS

SECRETARY-GENERAL PRAISES VITAL ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND,

IN MESSAGE TO ROME MEETING OF GOVERNING COUNCIL

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the twenty-fourth session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), delivered on his behalf by the President of IFAD,

Fawzi Al-Sultan, in Rome on 20 February:

Security Council

4278^th Meeting (AM)

SECURITY COUNCIL ADDRESSES COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO PEACE-BUILDING

IN PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT

Statement Deals with, among Others, Integrated Strategy,

Interrelationship among Peacekeeping, Peacemaking, Peace-building

Commission for Social Development                           SOC/4562/Corr.1

Thirty-ninth Session                                        16 February 2001

BORDER CLOSURES AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS CAUSE CONCERN ABOUT PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY’S

CAPACITY TO CONTINUE FUNCTIONING, SECRETARY-GENERAL STATES

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

UN ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME CONFIRMS PLUTONIUM FOUND IN DU AMMUNITION

GENEVA, 16 February (UNEP) –- Traces of plutonium have been detected in the DU penetrators found at sites in Kosovo that were investigated in November 2000 by the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Depleted Uranium Assessment Team, which included the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UNEP reported here today.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NEW DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE IN KOSOVO

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today announced the appointment of Gary L. Matthews of the United States as his Principal Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).  Mr. Matthews will replace Jock Covey, who had served in the same position since the middle of 1999.