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Priorities |
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29
- 30 October 2003
HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT
Office
of the President publishes the proposal of its
detailed organization.
Find
Out More >> |
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15 September 2003
The Last Day of the Czech Presidency of the General Assembly |
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15
September 2003 - Hanging the President
The traditional ceremony of unveiling of the photo
portrait of the outgoing General Assembly President
Jan Kavan will take place on Monday, 15 September 2003
at 2.45 p.m. outside General Assembly. |
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11
September 2003
Statement by Jan Kavan, President of the 57th session of
the UN General Assembly
I
am deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Anna Lindh,
Foreign Minister of Sweden. Anna was a good friend
and colleague with whom I had worked closely as Czech foreign
minister and as President of the UN General Assembly. I
remember her as a warm and lovely human being, an excellent
diplomat, a great European, a passionate social democrat
and a wonderful woman with whom I shared her vision of a
socially just and peaceful world based on solidarity and
tolerance. I am appalled by this senseless and brutal death
and hope that the perpetrator be speedily brought to justice.
My thoughts are with her family, friends and the people
of Sweden who so much cherished their open society. |
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| 8
September 2003 - President Kavan Opens the 56th
Annual Conference of the Department of Public Information
- Non Governmental Organizations |
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19
August 2003 - UNGA President Jan Kavan expresses his "Deepest
condolences over the death
of UN employees in Baghdad. My most intense thoughts and
sympathies are with those who have lost their loved ones."
Among them was Mr.
Vieira de Mello, top UN envoy to Iraq, a 30-year veteran
of many UN peacekeeping operations from the Balkans to East
Timor to Africa. Mr. Mello had been trapped in the rubble
of the devastated Canal Hotel, which served as UN headquarters
in the Iraqi capital. He was 55 and was UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights. >>
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19
August 2003 - Kavan shocked by attack on U.N. mission in
Baghdad.
The President of the U.N. General Assembly Jan Kavan is
shocked by the terrorist attack on the U.N. headquarters
in Baghdad and would like to express his condolences to
the families of those killed or injured in the attack. Similar
attacks can only strengthen our will to rebuild the country
and will not dissuade the U.N. from this goal. It is unfortunate
that this attack was committed on an organisation whose
goal is to help the Iraqi people in this difficult time,"
Kavan said. The occupying forces are responsible for security
in Iraq and for the security of U.N. officials there according
to the Geneva conventions and U.N. Security Council resolution
1483, Kavan said. United Nations does not have its own military
force in Iraq. The organization is still interested in increasing
its role in humanitarian aid, economic reconstruction and
political transition to democracy in sovereign Iraq.
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| Find
Out More about Saint Lucia - the country of
the next - 58th Presidency of the General Assembly, and
the new president Hon. Senator Julian Hunte, Minister for
External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation
- President of the General Assembly beginning
from 16th September 2003 after representatives of
Finland, South Korea and this year's Czech
Republic. The U.N. post goes through a regional
rotation each year and Latin America and the Caribbean are
on the list to lead the session. Caribbean and Latin
American countries have nominated Minister Julian R. Hunte,
a representative of the smallest country ever to hold this
office. |
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28
July - President Kavan Visits Timor-Leste
In
his speech before the National Parliament president Kavan
congratulated the deputies with the progress achieved since
the country's independence as well as the parliament's adherence
to the main international treaties protecting human rights.
He stressed the need for the reenforcement of the judiciary
and police structures in the country and the continuing
support of the United Nations. Kavan met with the
President of the Republic HE Xanana Gusmão, Prime
Minister Mari Alkatiri, and the President of the National
Parliament Francisco Guterres. It is his second visit after
the first trip in May 2002 still as the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Czech Republic
.>>The
United Nations, the United States and the Future of Multilateralism,
Lecture Delivered at the National University, Dili,
Timor-Leste
>>Address
to the National Parliament of the Democratic Republic of
Timor-Leste |
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21
July - President Meets Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock,
UK Permanent Representative to the UN
Sir Jeremy Greenstock visited president Kavan before the
end of his mission to the UN. |
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17
July - President Travels to Washington DC
During his official Visit to Washington DC, GA President
Kavan met Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Chuck
Hagel, former Senator Robert Dole, Congresswoman Carolyn
B. Maloney and Congressmen Danny K. Davis and Curt Davis.
US / UN relations and situation in Iraq and Africa were
among the discussed topics. |
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13
July - President Takes Part in the Progressive
Governance Conference in London
Alongside GA President, participating in the debate on
security doctrine was also a range of leading political
theorists, including Mike Moore former Director General
of the WTO, Pascal Lamy European Commissioner for Trade,
Gareth Evans President of the International Crisis Group,
Will Marshall PFI Expert and Giulano Amato Vice-President
of the Convention on the future of Europe.
SEE
PRESS RELEASE >> |
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3
July – Landmark Resolution on the Prevention of Armed
Conflict Adopted
After three years of preparation and five months of intensive
negotiation, the United Nations General Assembly adopted
by consensus a resolution on the prevention of armed conflict,
hailed as a landmark in efforts to move the world body from
a culture of reacting to crises to one of preventing them
from reaching critical mass. The resolution has
been one of the top priorities of the Czech presidency
Read more on UN NEWS >> |
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3
July - Resolution on Prevention of Armed Conflicts
UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette Welcomes
the Adoption
Welcoming the adoption, UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise
Fréchette recalled that Secretary-General Kofi Annan
had made conflict prevention one of his major priorities.
“As the Secretary-General reminded us in his report,
we have an obligation to the victims of violence around
the world to take seriously the challenge of prevention
and to move from rhetoric to reality,” she told the
Assembly. |
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23
June - Resolution
Approved - Integrated and Coordinated Implementation
of and Follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations
Conferences and Summits in the Economic and Social Fields
prepared under the chairmanship of the GA President has
been approved by the General Assembly.
Read
the Presentation Speech of the President at the General
Assembly >> |
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17
June - Ad
Hoc Open Ended Working Group adopted its report containing
the draft resolution on the integrated
and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes
of the major United Nations Conferences and Summits in the
economic and social fields.
The adoption of this resolution - one of the president's
priorities - is expected by the General Assembly on Monday
23.
Full Text of the Draft Resolution >> |
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| 16
June - President Kavan met H.E. Mr. Rafael
A. Bielsa, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Argentine. President's proposal
for revitalization of the General Assembly was discussed. |
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13
June - President Kavan meets Timor-Leste President
GA President Kavan met today with President Kay Rala Xanana
Gusmao of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. Their
discussion focused on UN assistance for infrastructure development
and security of the newly independent state. |
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| 9
June 2003 – President Kavan met with HE Mr. George
Iacovou, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Cyprus. Mr. Iacovou said his government
is willing to revisit the Secretary General’s plan
for Cyprus as a basis for negotiations with Turkish Cypriot
leaders, provided that the plan is deemed economically viable.
The Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities have improved
with the opening of the Green Line, although the support
of the Turkish Cypriot leaders for the plan is still unsure.
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6
June: New General Assembly President Elected
Minister of External Affairs Julian R.
Hunte of St. Lucia has been elected the president
of the U.N. General Assembly's 58th session. The U.N.
post goes through a regional rotation each year and Latin
America and the Caribbean are on the list to lead the 58th
annual session, which begins 16 September. Caribbean and
Latin American countries have nominated Minister Julian
R. Hunte, a representative of the smallest country ever
to hold this office. |
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| 3
June 2003 - President Kavan met with the Permanent Representative
of Netherlands,
H.E. Mr. Dirk Jan van den Berg. |
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| 3
June 2003 - President Kavan received the Foreign Minister
of Liechtenstein,
H.E. Ernst Walch on a courtesy call. |
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27
May 2003 - Reading
Marathon at the United Nations in New York
Life in Truth - Homage to Václav Havel
Live internet webcast of a Reading Marathon organized
to pay homage to all the authors, whose writings had helped
raise awareness in support of the cause of human rights,
freedom and free speech. Traditionally it has been sponsored
under the patronage of a distinguished Czech personality
in politics. It is aiming at promoting important authors
of literature whose work had and or still has a profound
impact universally, on the subject of freedom and human
rights. Find
Out More >>. |
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| 15
May 2003 - Exhibition of U.N. posters in the Czech National
Museum in Prague - President
of the United Nations General Assembly and Czech MP Jan
Kavan opened an exhibition of U.N. posters and symbols
for U.N. campaigns in the National Museum in Prague. The
Czech public will be able to view the travelling "For
a Better World" exhibition from Thursday to June 22.
The posters cover protection of human rights, the fight
for equality, the fight against racism and the movement
for sustainable growth with artists such as Marc Chagall
and Joan Miro represented. |
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11
May 2003 - Conference of the World Federation of the United
Nations Associations in
Barcelona: Over
250 people from more than 50 United Nations Associations
around the world gathered in Barcelona, Spain from 8-11
May for the 37th Plenary Assembly of WFUNA and a Conference
on the theme: "The United Nations: Our Hope, Our Future".
The UN General Assembly President, H. E. Jan
Kavan, gave the keynote address. Panel discussions were
held on the Campaign for the Millennium Development Goals;
Global Governance; the Role of Civil Society in Support
of the UN; Reform of the UN and the World Summit on Information
Society.
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| 10
April 2003 - President Kavan met with the Secretary-General
of the League of Arab States, Mr. Amre Moussa. |
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| 10
April 2003 - President Kavan met with US permanent representative
to the UN, ambassador John D. Negroponte. President
Kavan stressed the importancy of post conflict reconstruction
in Iraq. |
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| 7-8
April 2003 - President Kavan continues his official visit
to Austria and Vienna-based U.N. agencies.
President Kavan met among others H.E.
Mr. Wolfgang Schüssel, Austrian Foreign Minister Benita
Ferrero Waldner in Vienna,
Austrian Federal Chancellor, Andreas Khol, President
of the National Assembly and Mr. Heinz Fischer, 2nd President
of the National Assembly. |
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| 7
April 2003 - Kavan started his official visit to Austria
and Vienna-based U.N. agencies. Kavan met with
Austrian Foreign Minister Ferrero Waldner and Mohamed
ElBaradei, the director of the International Atomic Energy
Agency. "I think it is now already important
to establish an active role for the United Nations after
the war," he told a news conference. "I do very
much hope, also for the sake of legitimacy and for the
sake or acceptance in the region, that the United Nations
will play a crucial role." Read
the president's speeches:
President's
speech at the Austrian National Assembly >>
Commission
on Narcotic Drugs, Austria Center Vienna>> |
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17
March - President's Kavan Interview on Iraq
In his Czech Radio interview, President Kavan defended
the importance of the United Nations. "The UN will
in no event collapse," he said. "Nor do I agree
that the relevance of the UN has been questioned... The
UN is far too great to be reduced simply to the question
of deciding on war against Iraq, even though it is very
important," he said. In Kavan's words, the UN is meeting
all the functions and duties ensuing from the UN Charter
in attempting to prevent war. |
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| Assassination
of Zoran Djindjic, Prime Minister of Serbia
13
March - Statement by the President of the UN General Assembly
I would like to express my deep shock and sadness at learning
of the assassination of His Excellency Zoran Djindjic,
Prime Minister of Serbia. I would like to extend my deepest
sympathies to the government and people of Serbia, and
to Mr. Djindjic's family, in their loss. I feel personally
very strongly about this and share the pain caused by
this cruel act as Zoran was a friend of mine and a former
fellow human rights dissident. I have worked with him
when we were both dissidents as well as when he continued
in his opposition to Milosevic regime and I was a Foreign
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
and lastly when we were both in top government positions
and endeavoured to work for democratic Central Europe
as our contribution to better conditions in Europe and
the world. FULL
TEXT >> |
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| 12
March - President Kavan back to New York
GA
President Kavan arrived to New York after the official
visit to Australia and Japan and after participating
in the vote of confidence of the Czech Government in the
Parliament in Prague. |
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President
Kavan to Visit Australia and Japan
2-12 March - General Assembly President Kavan will be
arriving in Sydney this weekend at the start of an official
visit to Australia and Japan over the next two weeks. During
his week-long visit to Australia, he will meet with Foreign
Ministry and UN officials. He will give a number of keynote
addresses and lectures, including at the University of New
South Wales on the role of the General Assembly in maintaining
peace and security, and that the National Europe Center
of the Australian National University on the role of the
UN in promoting Human Rights. President Kavan will also
participate in Melbourne in a roundtable on nationalism,
internationalism and cosmopolitanism and deliver a public
lecture on UN and globalization at the DEakin University.
President Kavan then travels to Tokyo for an official
visit to Japan between March 9 - 12 at which he will
meet with Japanese Government officials including the Foreign
Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi. |
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21
February 2003 - BBC Czech Service Interview
The UN GA President Jan Kavan was interviewed on the situation
in Iraq by BBC Czech Service. INTERVIEW
AND ITS FULL TRANSCRIPTION>> |
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19
February 2003 - President Kavan Travels to Prague
Jan Kavan, the GA President and Deputy of the Czech Parliament
for the Czech Social Democratic Party left New York on 18
February to attend the regular session of Chambers of Deputies
of the Czech Parliament. On 28th February, the joint
session of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies is to
begin the third round of the elections for the new Czech
President. |
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16
February : The President back from the Caricom Intersessional
Meeting
H.E. Kavan visited the conference in Port of Spain on the
invitation of Caricom's Secretary-General Edwin Carrington.
The President Kavan is due to hand over the General Assembly
presidency, which is rotated yearly by region, to a successor
from the Caribbean and Latin American regional group GRULAC. |
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| 15
February : Candidate for the Next GA Presidency
Port of Spain: President Kavan met Prime Minister
Kenny Anthony and Foreign Minister Julian Hunte of St.
Lucia. Caribbean and Latin American countries have
nominated Minister Julian Hunte to be president of the
U.N. General Assembly's next session. The U.N. post
goes through a regional rotation each year and Latin America
and the Caribbean are on the list to lead the 58th annual
session, which begins in September. |
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| 14
February : United
Nations in Trinidad and Tobago
Port
of Spain: During his official visit to Trinidad and Tobago,
president Kavan met UNDP representative Ms. Inyang Ebong
- Harstroup. |
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| 6
February 2003 - The President Visits the International
Monetary Fund
The president welcomes the meeting with IMF's managing
director Horst Köhler as an opportunity for discussing
the possibilities for further strengthening the cooperation
between the UN and the IMF. The issue of particular importance
is the proper preparation of the High-Level Dialogue on
the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, which the
General Assembly has scheduled for the end of October
2003. |
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| 3
February 2003 - The General Assembly President Jan Kavan
met H.E. Mr. Mircea
Dan Geoana, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Romania. The chief of Romanian diplomacy
discussed with Jan Kavan the situation in Iraq as well as
Romania's participation in Afghanistan. Also discussed were
the UN actions in conflict prevention and activities in
the field of post-conflict reconstruction. |
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| 1
February 2003 - President Kavan was shocked and saddened
by the tragedy that befell the space shuttle Columbia
and its crew on Saturday. His thoughts and condolences
go out to the families of the seven astronauts who lost
their lives. He also extends his condolences to the Governments
and people of the United States, India and Israel who lost
crew members in the tragedy. The President pays tribute
to the courage and invincible spirit of the astronauts and
their endeavours. |
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| 27
January 2003 - The General Assembly President
Jan Kavan presided over the Organizational
Meeting of the Working Group on the Integrated follow-up.
Over the past decade, numerous UN conferences and summits
resulted in clarifying and setting the development goals.
It is now time to engage ourselves in search for the most
effective mechanism for review of the progress achieved.
The credibility of the United Nations is based not only
on its ability to articulate political goals but also,
and primarily, on its ability to mobilize political will
for their implementation.
FULL
TEXT OF THE PRESIDENT´S SPEECH >> |
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| 27
January 2003 - President Kavan
returned to New York today after Presidential Election in
the Czech Republic. The President left New York
on 15 January to attend the joint session of both chambers
of the Czech Parliament. He returns to New York after taking
part in both rounds of the Election of the new President
of the Czech Republic. |
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23
January 2003 - President Kavan
in UNIC Prague
Jan Kavan,
the GA President, will take part in a background
talk with journalists, NGO, UN and governmental representatives
at United Nations Information
Centre in Prague.
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15
January 2003 - President Kavan
Takes Part in Presidential Election in Prague
Jan Kavan,
the GA President and Deputy of the Czech Parliament
for the Czech Social Democratic Party left New York on 11
January to attend the joint session of both chambers of
the Czech Parliament. The joint session of the Senate and
the Chamber of Deputies is to elect the new Czech
President and successor to the outgoing President Václav
Havel for the next five years. |
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| 18
December 2002 - President Kavan
returned to New York today. The President left
New York on 16 December to attend the plenary session of
the Czech Parliament. He returns to New York after voting
on the state budget of the Czech Republic. The Czech government
also won the battle over the country's EU entry conditions
in the Chamber of Deputies today when the house welcomed
the successful completion of Prague's accession talks at
the Copenhagen summit. The Chamber of Deputies also thanked
GA President Jan Kavan, President Vaclav Havel and all of
the Czech Republic's post-communist premiers and foreign
ministers in connection with the EU entry. |
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| 13
December - Jan Kavan took part
in "Coupe de Champagne" reception
given by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in honour of the
President of the General Assembly upon the closure of the
Assembly's main session. |
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13
December - Interview
for World Chronicle
The UN General Assembly President discussed the status of
General Assembly in the UN and the global politics, the
question of Iraq and the need for multilateral forums in
contemporary world. "I am a strong believer in diplomacy,
multilateral organizations and the world´s parliament",
Kavan stressed.
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| 12
December - President Kavan returned to New York from
the plenary session of the Czech Parliament and the negotiation
of the state budget of the Czech Republic. |
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President
Kavan, Whoopi Goldberg and UN Deputy Secretary General Louise
Frechette at World Aids Day Observance
26 November - There are over 42 million adults and
children living with AIDS, of which, some 14 million are
orphaned children. ... The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS and
the discrimination against those suffering from the disease,
are still keeping many nations and communities in denial
of acknowledging this epidemic in their midst, contributing
to its spread and further loss of life. The disavowal of
HIV/AIDS victims by society in these communities, ranges
from refusal of health care services to eviction from their
homes. FULL
TEXT>> |
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President
Kavan Meets Permanent
Representative of Sweden
22
November - President Kavan met H.E. Mr. Pierre Schori,
Permanent Representative of Sweden to the UN. Timetable
of further negotiations of a conflict prevention resolution
was the main topic of the meeting. |
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President
Kavan Meets Executive
Secretary of CTBTO
20 November - President Kavan met Mr. Wolfgang Hoffmann,
Executive Secretary of CTBTO - preparatory commission for
the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.
The conversation focused on the activities of CTBTO, possibilities
of the treaty ratification, system of stations monitoring
seismic activity around the world as well as relations between
CTBTO and UN. |
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President
of Afghanistan Welcomes the Panel "Afghanistan: One
Year Later" organized by GA President Kavan
18 November - The Head of State of Afghanistan,
H.E. Hamid Karzai writes in his letter: "Let me begin
by thanking Your Excellency, Mr. Jan Kavan, President of
the General Assembly, for having convened and for presiding
over this open-ended panel of the General Assembly on "Afghanistan:
one year later". |
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| .... |
| We
welcome and are grateful to Your Excellency for making today´s
meeting happen. We find that this meeting, in the form of
a panel, will serve to be instrumental in bringing further
awareness to the problems facing Afghanistan, including
a further reminder to donor countries to implement their
commitments of assistance to Afghanistan. We owe gratitude
to the donor community for its assistance to Afghanistan
thus far. However, if I may, I would like to, once again,
say to the donor community that reconstruction and security
go hand in hand - one cannot be achieved without the other...."
FULL TEXT >>
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| Open
ended panel "Afghanistan: one year later"
organized
by the General Assembly President started on 18th November
2002. It has two consecutive sessions: on political
issues from 9 to 11 a.m. and on economic issues
from 11 a.m. to 1p.m.
The
panel is held in Trusteeship Council of the UN Conference
Building. FULL
TEXT >> |
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| Open-ended
panel of the General Assembly on "Afghanistan: one
year later"
11 November - The General Assembly has approved
the resolution submitted by President Kavan for creating
an open-ended panel of the General Assembly on "Afghanistan:
one year later" on 18th November 2002. An interactive
dialogue on Afghanistan one year after the agreement reached
in Bonn would afford the international community an opportunity
to take stock of the General Assembly on Afghanistan,
including on post conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan
and future United Nations activities in this regard.
FULL
TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION>> |
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President
Kavan Meets German Foreign Minister Fischer
1 November - GA President Jan Kavan Met German Foreign
Minister Joschka Fischer. Possibilities of UN General Assembly
revitalisation were among the discussed topics as well as
the preparations of the panel discussion on situation
in Afghanistan one year after adopting the Bonn Agreement
FULL TEXT>>.
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UN
Day Celebrations in Prague
24 October - United Nations Information Centre in
Prague organized festivities of the UN Day. In his video
message, the GA president Kavan mentioned. " the On
twenty-fourth October our United Nations is celebrating
its fifty-seventh birthday.... The relevance of the United
Nations is confirmed more than ever today when there are
so many global problems challenging our world..... " |
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United
Nations Day
24 October - In his message
on United Nations Day, General Assembly President Kavan
pays tribute to the founders of the United Nations and their
foresight in establishing “an Organization that was
mandated to ensure a just and peaceful world, an Organization
that would reflect the universal moral conscience, an Organization
which is the most inclusive of all world forums, where nations
may settle their differences and disputes peacefully.”
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President
Kavan Meets High Commisioner for Human Rights
21
October - President Kavan met Sergio Vieira de Mello,
the UN High Commisioner for Human Rights. |
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Members
of the International Court of Justice Elected
21 October - From the Daily Briefing of the
Spokesman of the General Assembly President: "President
Kavan chaired the General Assembly plenary, which elected
five members of the International Court of Justice for a
nine-year term of office, commencing 6 February 2003. In
accordance with established procedure, the General Assembly
and the Security Council voted independently of one another
to elect the members of the Court." |
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President
Kavan denounces Bali bomb blast
14
October - In a statement released to the press today,
General Assembly President Kavan condemns and is outraged
by the terrorist attack that has claimed the lives of so
many innocent civilian victims. He calls on all states to
fight terrorism and says such attacks cannot be excused
for any reason or by any ideology. President Kavan hopes
for a swift investigation and punishment of those responsible
in the attack. |
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From
the Daily Briefing of Richard Sydenham, Spokesman of the
General Assembly President
9 October - In his message today on the International
Day for Disaster Reduction, General Assembly President Kavan
said that the international community had a big responsibility
in the process of disaster reduction through assisting developing
countries. He says, “As I have personally seen during
the floods in my country, there are several, very visible
examples of cooperation in the field of post-disaster help
and mitigation throughout the international community. This
gives me hope concerning future coordinated global efforts
to decrease human, environmental, economic and social losses
from disasters". This message
was issued as a press release today. |
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| Jan
Kavan meets Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, UN High Representative
for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing
Countries and Small Island Developing States.
3 October - Mr. Chowdhury informed President
Kavan about the work of his office, which was created
in December 2001, in particular activities in Africa which
contains the largest number of least developed and landlocked
developing countries. Also discussed was the possibility
of integrating topics, now discussed in different forums,
in order to streamline the work of the General Assembly. |
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| President
meets Secretary General of World Federation of United
Nations Associations
3 October - Donald Blinken, Secretary-General of
the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA)
and Mrs. Pera Wells, Deputy Secretary-General (WFUNA),
presented to G.A. President Kavan the recent report "We
the People - A Call to Action for the UN Millennium Declaration".
Discussion covered the main focus of WFUNA's work- achieving
Millennium Development Goals through the creation of global
partnerships for development. Mr. Blinken invited President
Kavan to participate in WFUNA's next plenary meeting in
Barcelona. |
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| Jan
Kavan meets with Executive Coordinator of the United Nations
Volunteer Programme
2 October - During their meeting Mrs. Sharon
Capeling-Alakija, Executive Coordinator of the United
Nations Volunteer Programme (UNV) briefed G.A. President
Kavan on the accomplishments of the International Year
of Volunteers (2001) in particular the role played by
UN volunteers during the recent floods in the Czech Republic.
They agreed that the International Year of Volunteers
had been a milestone in helping to built the necessary
network and infrastructure for the future work of the
UNV Programme. |
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Permanent
Representative of Bahrain meets GA President upon completion
of assignment
2 October - Outgoing Permanent Representative of
Bahrain, Jassim Mohammed Buallay, briefed G. A. President
Kavan on his 8 year assignment including Bahrain's membership
of the Security Council and vice-presidency of ECOSOC. Buallay
discussed with Kavan the importance of the Iraq question
and Bahrain's role in providing the base for UNSCOM and
participating in UNMOVIC. He also indicated Bahrain's appreciation
for the active role of the Czech Republic in the Middle
East, especially the participation of its military unit
in Kuwait. |
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Meeting
with the Permanent Representative of Sweden
1 October 2002 - President Kavan met H.E. Mr. Pierre
Schori, Permanent Representative of Sweden and Ambassador
Stig Elvemar (Sweden). Among the main topics discussed were
conflict prevention, revitalization of the work of the General
Assembly and the report of the Secretary-General on UN reform. |
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From
the Daily Briefing of Richard Sydenham, Spokesman of the
General Assembly President
27 September - Timor Leste becomes today the
191st UN Member State when the General Assembly formally
admitted it during its morning session. Timor Leste was
the first country to come into existence in the new millennium,
when the UN Transitional Administration (UNTAET) handed
over authority on 20 May this year to a democratically elected
Government. |
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New
UN Member: President Kavan meets Timor-Leste President
26 September - GA President Kavan's meeting with
President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao took place on the admission
of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste as 191st member
of the UN. Their discussion focused on UN assistance for
infrastructure development and security of the newly independent
state. Timor-Leste, according to its president, needs help
in creating the administrative, military, police and other
structures necessary for it to function.
FULL TEXT>> |
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| UN
Foundation President Wirth meets GA President
26
September - Senator Tim Wirth, President of the UN
Foundation and Mr. Amir Dosal, Executive Director of the
UN Fund for International Partnerships briefed GA President
Kavan on the work of the Foundation and Fund in providing
$500 million assistance to UN projects and activities
in the fields of children's health, human rights and the
environment. Initiatives for future fundraising and to
engage civil society were also discussed. |
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Permanent
Representative of Mongolia meets President Kavan
24 September - In their review of issues before the
57th General Assembly, Permanent Representative Jargalsaikhany
Enkhsaikhan of Mongolia and President Kavan discussed the
upcoming debate in the Second Committee on landlocked developing
countries as well as preparations for the United Nations
Literacy Decade: Education for All beginning in 2003 in
cooperation with UNESCO. The nuclear-free weapons status
of Mongolia was also discussed as well as the International
Conference on New and Restored Democracies to be held in
June 2003 in Ulaanbaator. |
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President
Kavan discusses Iraq with the Secretary-General of the League
of Arab States
24 September - President Kavan thanked the Secretary-General
of the League of Arab States Amr Moussa and the League itself
for their pressure on Baghdad leading to Saddam Hussein´s
agreement to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors.
According to Secretary-General Moussa, the League supports
a multilateral approach and return of UN weapons inspectors
to solve the Iraq problem. As for the Palestine issue, Secretary-General
Moussa recommended the definition of clear limits not only
on Palestinians, but also on Israel, in their activities.
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President
Kavan meets with Foreign Minister of Lebanon
20 September - Minister Mahmoud Hammoud discussed
his recent visit to the Czech Republic and his conversation
with Czech President Havel. F.M. Hammoud informed GA President
Kavan about the increasing tensions between Lebanon and
Israel concerning the use of water from south Lebanon rivers
and that Lebanon had the right to use up to 30% of the waters
according to a 1953 agreement. F.M. Hammoud hoped that the
problem could be solved with the help of US experts. The
Foreign Minister also informed President Kavan about the
positive work done by UNIFIL in his country. |
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President
Kavan discusses UN reform with Foreign Minister Kukan of
Slovakia
19 September - President Jan Kavan assured F.M. Eduard
Kukan that revitalization of the work of the UN General
Assembly is one of his top priorities. Very important, in
this context, is the Report of the UN Secretary-General
on Reform. President Kavan indicated he also intends to
consider some reform plans outlined by 55th GA President
Harri Holkeri. President Kavan told F.M. Kukan that he plans
to organize consultations with the presidents of the Security
Council and ECOSOC, and with the Secretary-General and the
Bretton Woods institutions on reform. F.M. Kukan assured
President Kavan of Slovak support for UN Security Council
reform. |
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Head
of the PLO's Political Department Farouk Kaddoumi meets
GA President Kavan
18 September - During their meeting, Mr. Kaddoumi
described to President Kavan the situation in the Palestinian
territories, including the military presence and fragmentation
by Israeli settlements. Mr. Kaddoumi indicated that he does
not consider the Quartet negotiations to be a success as
they should also focus more on the improvement of the humanitarian
situation in Palestine. |
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Foreign
Minister of Pakistan Inam ul Haque meets with GA President
Kavan
18 September - President Kavan asked for Pakistan´s
view regarding the situation in Afghanistan, Kashmir and
Iraq. F.M. ul Haque indicated his government's support for
the peace process in Afghanistan and of the Karzai government.
He underlined the need for the creation of an Afghan army
as well as solving the problem of more than 5 million refugees.
F.M. ul Haque welcomed the decision of Iraq to accept UN
inspectors and said that further developments will depend
on Iraq´s cooperation with UN resolutions. |
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President
Kavan discusses Middle East issues with Shimon Peres, Foreign
Minister of Israel
17 September - Leading the discussion
were the latest events concerning Iraq. President Kavan
acknowledged the pressure put on Iraq by Arab countries
resulting in the return of UN inspectors. Foreign Minister
Peres informed President Kavan of Israel's skepticism about
the declaration and its disbelief in the Hussein regime's
promises. As for the possibility of creating an independent
Palestinian state, Mr. Kavan expressed his support for the
road map proposed by the European Union. |
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Meeting
with Foreign Minister Al-Sabah of Kuwait
17 September - GA President Kavan and F.M. Al-Sabah
discussed Czech-Kuwait relations, the situation in Iraq
and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. F.M. Al-Sabah expressed
his conviction that pressure from the Arab League would
help to avoid war even though the Iraq regime has a tradition
of not fulfilling UN resolutions. Arab initiative in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict was discussed as well as future
cooperation between the GA Presidency and Kuwait. |
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Foreign
Minister of Slovenia Dimitrij Rupel Meets the President
16 September - President Kavan underlined that if
Iraq does not comply with UN resolutions an attack is inevitable
and that all political means must be used to persuade it
to accept unconditionally the return of UN inspectors. The
role of Arab countries is extremely important in these negotiations,
the President said. F.M. Rupel recommended that the situation
be resolved within the UN. As for the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, President Kavan said that he hopes that the EU
plan can be implemented. |
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| President
Kavan Meets Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qurbi of Yemen
16 September - F.M. Al Qurbi underlined
to President Kavan the importance of President Bush's
speech in the UN General Assembly and the US decision
to take the Iraq question to the UN Security Council.
Both parties appreciated the League of Arab States position,
that Saddam Hussein should fulfill UN resolutions, and
expressed their hope that Iraq will enable unconditional
return of UN inspectors. F.M.Al Qurbi stressed that a
war would have catastrophic results not only for the whole
region, but would also have a negative impact on the world.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and efforts of the Quartet
were also discussed.
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President
Kavan Meets EU Foreign and Security High Representative
Solana
16
September – Among the topics of the meeting were:
the mandate and functioning of the International Criminal
Court; the situation in Middle East; Tuesday´s negotiation
of the Quartet (UN, EU, USA and Russia) and the possibilities
of creating a Palestinian state according to the EU plan
by 2005. Elections in Macedonia and future cooperation between
the EU and the GA Presidency were also discussed. |
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| Meeting
with Yoriko Kawaguchi, Foreign Minister of Japan
15 September - Discussions between President Kavan
and F.M. Kawaguchi centered on Iraq and UN reform. Japan
supports adherence to UN resolutions concerning Iraq and
the situation is a test of UN legitimacy. UN reform requires
a new impetus so that the nine-year-old problem could
be moved forward. President Kavan appreciated activities
of Japan in the field of conflict prevention and underlined
that this approach corresponds to his own priorities.
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Meeting
with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien
15 September - F.M. Nguyen Dy Nien informed President
Kavan about the Vietnamese experience in the UN and underlined
the positive work of UNDP in Vietnam. Mr. Kavan informed
him about the priorities of the Czech Republic during his
presidency, especially in the effectiveness and transparency
of the work of the Assembly and the active follow-up to
the Monterrey and Johannesburg conferences. In the case
of Iraq, F.M. Nguyen said that Vietnam, as well as other
countries of Southeast Asia, would prefer a solution that
would avoid war. He said that Iraq has to comply with UN
resolutions. |
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New
UN Member: Swiss Foreign Minister Deiss Visits GA President
14th September - GA President Kavan met H.E. Joseph
Deiss, Foreign Minister of Switzerland, to discuss UN reform,
the Middle East and the Global Compact. Also discussed was
Switzerland´s expectations from its UN membership. |
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| President
Kavan Meets Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan of China
14 September – Foreign Minister Tang thanked
Mr. Kavan for the effective way in which he presided over
the General Committee. He also expressed his support of
the President in carrying out his duties and of his commitment
to UN reform. On the question of Iraq, Foreign Minister
Tang and President Kavan agreed that relevant UN resolutions
should be implemented. The meeting also touched on development
issues, including the connection between the Millennium
Development goals, the Monterrey Consensus and the outcome
of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. |
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Situation
in Iraq Discussed with Foreign Minister of Tunisia
14 September - F.M. Habib Ben Yahia informed GA President
Kavan about the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the League
of Arab States. F.M.Yahia indicated that Tunisia understands
US reaction, having itself been attacked by terrorists in
April, and recommends immediate acceptance of UN resolutions
by Iraq. Revitalisation of the UN and other topics were
also discussed. |
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Meeting
with Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Kassymzhomart Tokaev
13 September - In his meeting with GA President Kavan,
F.M. Tokaev underlined the increasing importance of the
region due to military activities in Afghanistan. He said
Kazakhstan supported international operations there by providing
an airport base. Also discussed was the rehabilitation of
the former nuclear test field in Semipalatinsk with help
from the UN and international donors. |
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Spain´s
Foreign Minister Visits the GA President
12 September - The meeting with F.M. Ana Palacio
included discussion of the international fight against terrorism,
the question of Gibraltar, Spain's candidature to membership
of the Security Council and Spain's interest in an agreement
on human cloning. |
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Indifference
Is Not an Option
GA President Kavan Meets US President Bush
12
September – President of the 57th UN General
Assembly met with US President Bush prior to the GA Session.
Jan Kavan expressed his preference for a joint approach
of the US and UN to Iraq and underlined that indifference
is not an option. |
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| 9/11
- President's Inscription in the Book of Condolence
11
September – "I want to pay tribute to
the courage, invincible
spirit and extraordinary heroism of the American people
in the face of the horrors of September 11th. The immense
determination with which they embarked on the way of recovery
and the difficult healing process has been an inspiration
to all of us. However, my most intense thoughts and sympathies
are, understandably, with those who have lost their loved
ones."
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| President
Kavan opens the 57th Session of the General Assembly
10
September – President of the 57th UN General
Assembly opened its first plenary meeting. The opening
speech can be found here. FULL
TEXT>>
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Czech
