Americas

Annan reiterates offer to help Colombia reach negotiated solution to conflict

30 September 2003
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia today and reiterated his commitment to assist the South American country in reaching a negotiated solution to the decades-old conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 2 million more.

US marks return to UNESCO with Paris flag raising

29 September 2003
The United States marked its return to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today, nearly two decades after it withdrew, with a flag raising ceremony at the agency's headquarters in Paris attended by First Lady Laura Bush.

Guyana, Venezuela seek Annan's aid to speed up settlement of border controversy

29 September 2003
Guyana and Venezuela are seeking to reinvigorate discussions under the aegis of Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a bid to resolve the nearly two-century-old border controversy between the two neighbours on the northern shoulder of South America, a United Nations spokesman said today.

UN mission says proposed Guatemalan budget contravenes peace accords

26 September 2003
The United Nations mission in Guatemala overseeing the peace agreement between the government and rebels has called for transferring funds from military spending to social areas and enhancing civil justice, saying the latest budget contravenes the accords that ended a three-decade-long civil war.

Secretary-General mourns death of Palestinian writer Edward Said

25 September 2003
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today mourned the loss of Edward Said, the Palestinian-American writer who died early today.

Brazilian president donates $50,000 to UN to combat hunger and poverty

25 September 2003
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil personally donated $50,000 to the United Nations today to help fight hunger and poverty, a UN spokesman said.

UNICEF launches emergency hepatitis B vaccination campaign in Peru

24 September 2003
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched an emergency vaccination campaign against hepatitis B for two ethnic groups in a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon, whose existence could be threatened by a prolonged outbreak of the disease.

Annan recommends a 1-year extension of UN mission in Guatemala

15 September 2003
With general elections in Guatemala less than two months away, and with the country's third successive new Government since 1996 about to take office, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended a one-year extension of the United Nations mission there to help contribute to a smooth transition.

UN makes new appeal for rich countries to end trade practices hurting poor

11 September 2003
Adding its voice to Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plea for a fair agricultural trade deal for the world’s poorest countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today appealed to rich nations to dismantle tariff barriers and cut subsidies, calling it “vital” for food security in developing countries.

Rich states must end agriculture subsidies to bring free trade to poor – UN official

10 September 2003
With world trade talks opening in Cancún, Mexico, today, a senior United Nations official has called on rich nations to eliminate the estimated billion dollars a day in agricultural subsidies that “grossly undermines” the future of millions of people in the least developed countries.