UNITED
NATIONS
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
News and Highlights from the President
President
presided over the third day of Special Session on Children
10 May 2002
Today, 27th Special Session of the General Assembly on Children continued.
Yesterday, on the second day of the special session on children, the Assembly heard statements by 11 heads of state or government, by 7 Vice-Presidents or Deputy Prime Ministers, by 33 representatives at the ministerial level and by 11 heads of delegation. The representatives of two Observers also spoke as did the heads of four UN agencies.
This morning at 9.00 o'clock, the President of Haiti was the first on the speakers list and he is followed by another 32 speakers, including the Executive Director of the UN Programme on HIV/AIDS and the Executive Director of the UN Human Settlement Programme.
In the afternoon, the Assembly is expected to hear 37 Member States, one Observer state and more than a dozen entities.
In the evening, Dr. Han attended the dinner hosted by the Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt in honour of the First Lay, H. E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak.
Today was the last day of the Special Session on Children. Dr. Han concluded the session by reiterating that the real work of creating a world fit for children has only just begun.
In his remark, Dr. Han said that "It is crucially important to recognize that chronic poverty remains the biggest obstacle to promoting the welfare of children in many developing countries. The international development goals and strategies agreed upon at major United Nations conferences, in particular the Millennium Summit, should be continuously pursued by the international community in order to assist developing countries in eradicating poverty and promoting the well-being of children."
In closing, Dr. Han gave special recognition and appreciation to Her Excellency Ambassador Patricia Durrant, of Jamaica who served as the chairperson of the Committee of the Whole, and the other members of the bureau for their excellent work that has contributed to the success of the Special Session. Dr. Han also thanked to Ms. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF and her staff for their tireless efforts and wholehearted dedication to ensure the success of the meeting.