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20 September 1999

The General Assembly began its general debate this morning, presided over by the President, Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab. So far today, the Heads of State of South Africa and Algeria have spoken. The President of Namibia is now addressing the Assembly, to be followed by the President of Georgia, the Prime Minister of France and the Foreign Minister of Jordan. Brazil, traditionally the first speaker in the debate, was represented by its Foreign Minister.

This afternoon, the Assembly is scheduled to hear addresses by five Heads of State El Salvador, United Republic of Tanzania, Nicaragua, Colombia and Portugal --five Prime Ministers Bangladesh, Norway, Cambodia, Andorra and Fiji and the Foreign Ministers of Cote d’Ivoire and the United Kingdom. A total of 19 speakers are expected to address the Assembly on its first day of debate.

Among tomorrow’s speakers will be the Presidents of Peru, the United States, Zimbabwe and Guatemala, in that order, in the morning, and of Venezuela and Argentina in the afternoon.

Altogether, 183 delegations are inscribed to take part in the two-week general debate, which will conclude on Saturday, 2 October. As of today, the list of speakers includes 37 Heads of State, 23 Heads of Government, 1 Vice-President and 1 Crown Prince.

Ahead of the general debate, Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented his Annual Report on the Work of the Organization (A/54/1). He addressed the prospects for human security and intervention in the twenty-first century. Fred Eckhard will elaborate on the specifics of the Secretary-General’s statement. In an introductory essay to the report, the Secretary-General called for exploring ways of moving from a culture of reaction to a culture of prevention in dealing with humanitarian crises brought about by natural disasters and armed conflict. A press release summarizing the report was issued on 9 September.

Copies of the President’s appointments for today are available in room 378 and on the Internet. They include separate meetings this morning with President Sam Nujoma of Namibia and with South African President Thabo Mbeki. This evening, he will attend a reception given in his honour by President Nujoma.

Yesterday, "UN Sunday", the President delivered an address at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. The President spoke on what he has defined as the main theme of his presidency, namely, the need to protect children from armed conflict, hunger, poverty and all forms of exploitation and abuse. The time had come, he said, to protect today’s children and future generations by implementing all international instruments on the rights of children. For his part, he said he would use every opportunity at his disposal as President of the General Assembly to sensitize the international community to the plight and needs of children. The President let it be known that he wants his presidency to be remembered for the focus he brought to the plight of children worldwide. Copies of his statement are available in room 378.

Three of the Main Committees are holding organizational meetings this week: the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee) and the Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee), both at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 21 September; and the Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee), at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, 23 September.

In connection with other activities this week, at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, 23 September, there will be a press briefing on prospects for the Special Session on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. Present will be Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni Slade of Samoa, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS); and JoAnne DiSano, Director of the Division for Sustainable Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

Question: There are two reports today on the International Court of Justice. Can you tell me when the elections for the members will take place?

Answer: I have not yet seen a schedule indicating when elections will be held. I’ll look into it and get back to you.