Press encounter following reappointment for a further five-year term as Secretary-General,

I think the floor is yours. I've just had a chance to say my piece this morning. If you have any questions, I will answer them.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you came to this House five years ago as Secretary-General, or four years ago actually, as an agent for reform. I wonder if you could set out what your next five years of your reform agenda would be institutionally and perhaps somewhat politically as well.

SG: I think on the institutional aspects I made it clear from the beginning, that reform and the search for excellence is an ongoing process, and we will press ahead to make this organization much more effective. As you know we just came up with results-based budgeting, we have been talking about sunset clauses and requesting programme managers to review all activities and indicate which ones have outlived their usefulness, have achieved their objectives, so that we can free resources for other and more pressing things. We will continue to ensure coherence and avoid duplication in this organization, and I will reach out and work much more effectively with the private sector, with civil society and foundations because this is an area of partnership and the UN can only be able to expand its capacity and achieve its goals by working in partnership with others, and I think the House is beginning to accept this, even though we had some minor problems at the recent conference.

Q: Secretary-General, is there a failure, if there is one, for the last 4 1/2 years, what is it? And is there a challenge in particular that you find daunting as you [inaudible] your second term.

SG: I think this week we have confronted one of the most difficult and astronomical challenges that the UN and the society as a whole would face, and this is the question of HIV/AIDS, and if you link that with our fight against poverty you realize we have a real challenge ahead of us. I think in the recent period, it was harrowing and a bit scary, when we had 500 peacekeepers taken hostage in Sierra Leone, something that we saw in Bosnia and Somalia and others, and swore never to have to repeat. But I'm happy that we were able to get over that situation, stabilize the troops so that we can continue with our work and for the moment, things are going very well.

Q: [There is a challenge coming up], and another emotional conference is going to be on racism and discrimination. I'm wondering if you have in your mind yet a scope of breadth, and what kind of hopes you have for that because of the importance of that discussion?

SG: There have been several regional [preparatory committees] and very serious discussions, and I would hope that this conference will be forward looking, will be constructive. Obviously it's a conference that should neither condone the past nor become captive to the past. We should look forward and look at the issues we face issues of racism, xenophobia and come up with ideas of we can eliminate it in our society, encourage Governments to come up with laws to protect people who are discriminated against on either grounds of religion, ethnicity or whatever. And so I am looking to a constructive and forward-looking conference, and I would appeal to everyone to focus on that, otherwise we risk derailing the conference by focusing on issues of the past, which I admit are important, should be faced up to and brought to closure.

Q: Regarding the last question, what are your chief concerns in the next term.

SG: I think I have indirectly answered that and also did at the last press conference in the sense that we are lucky that as we enter the new millennium, the Heads of State and Government were here in September last year, and at that conference gave us the Millennium Declaration, which if you wish is our agenda for the next 10-15 years dealing with poverty, AIDS, education, environment, governance, human rights - a very, very solid agenda there for us to pursue. Beginning this September I will provide the Member States with the first report on that agenda, and we will produce annual reports for the Member States indicating where we are succeeding and where we are failing and why, and where they need to do more, so we do have a solid agenda ahead of us.

Q: M. le secretaire general, en francais s'il vous plait: quelles vont etre vos nouvelles priorites pour l'Afrique dans ce nouveau mandat?

SG: Je crois que pour l'Afrique la question du SIDA est tres importante. On doit ettouffer toutes ces crises africaines pour pouvoir se concentrer sur la question economique et sociale, dont la question de pauvrete, la question de securite pour la population est tres importante. On va s'y mettre.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you quoted Dag Hammarskjold today. What would you say are the similarities between you and the former Secretary-General?

SG: Gosh, that is a very difficult question for me to answer. I hope others will have to deal with that, because I am one of those who believes that a man cannot see himself except through the reflection of a mirror, and you, the media and the public, have to play that role. I think if there is a similarity I believe that we both believe firmly in the principles of the Charter. We both believe in this Organization and what it stands for. We both believe that there is an obligation to speak and stand out for the weak and to have a certain understanding and compassion for the human condition. But it is not enough to recognize that you should not stop there but go out and do something about it, and encourage others to join you in trying to make a difference.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, congratulations.

SG: Thank you.

Q: Are we going to see some changes in your staff members?

SG: Yes, that is not excluded. There will be changes but at the same time there will be continuity. Thank you very much, and thank you very much for all your support. We have worked well together over the past four and a half years. You have asked many questions - sometimes you got answers, sometimes you didn't get answers. And I hope on those occasions when you didn't get your answers, you also realized I was wise not to answer them. Thank you very much. *****