Kofi Annan

The Secretary-General spoke with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran and President Bashar Al-Assad of Syria about developments in Lebanon and the need for countries in the region in particular and the international community as a whole to promote the stability and the unity of Lebanon.

He urged them to counsel the parties concerned to exercise patience and resolve their differences through dialogue.

Chairperson Konare,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am glad to be here today among so many good friends. I am especially pleased that my final days in office will mark the first days of a promising new chapter in UN - AU relations.

Excellencies, Dear Friends:

This has been a chequered decade for development, but an extraordinary one for the UN's role in development.

When I took office in 1997, official development assistance had been declining for more than a decade. Funding for the UN system had dropped precipitously, amidst fierce ideological debates with the Bretton Woods institutions and other partners about the right approach to development. And the world was falling rapidly behind in tackling new challenges, particularly HIV/AIDS.

SG: Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen of the press. Let me thank all of you for waiting for so long. I think we've all worked very hard. Most of us skipped lunch and dinner. As you know, (African Union) Chairperson Konare and myself co-chaired this meeting which included the Permanent Five members of the (UN) Security Council and a list of African countries who are playing a key role in the Sudanese issue.

Let me start by thanking all members of the Global Consortium for their invaluable work on behalf of East Asia's tsunami victims. In particular, let me use the occasion of this final meeting to pay tribute to the driving force behind the group, my Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery, President Bill Clinton.

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement today by the Independent Electoral Commission of the provisional results of the second round of the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which took place on 29 October. He also welcomes the joint statement issued by President Joseph Kabila and Vice-President Jean-Pierre Bemba on 7 November, calling on their supporters to remain calm and avoid violence as they wait for the final results, and vowing not to challenge the outcome of the polls by force.

Mr. President, [Kibaki]

Mr. [Kivutha] Kibwana, [Environment Minister, Kenya,

and President of the Conference of Parties]

I thank the Government and people of Kenya for hosting this international conference. You have warmly welcomed thousands of people into your midst, and created excellent conditions for the crucially important work on our agenda. Thank you for yet another strong show of support for the United Nations.

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

SG: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Since we don't have too much time and I've already made a statement this morning, which I hope all of you heard, let's go straight to questions.

It is an honour to receive this honour. Kenya is the home for the United Nations. We have two important agencies based here, UNEP and UN-HABITAT, but we also have all the UN agencies, funds and programmes operating here in Kenya and Mr. President, I am pleased to tell you that they have all felt at home, felt welcome and have been well looked after here. And I hope we, in turn, have been good citizens and haven't caused you any problems.