Annan congratulates developing country Dag Hammarskjöld journalism fellows

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today congratulated four young journalists from developing countries who won Dag Hammarskjöld fellowships from the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) to cover several weeks of the General Assembly's operations.

"Some of you are from countries with first-hand experience of United Nations peacekeeping - through the missions called MINUGUA (the UN Human Rights Verification Mission in Guatemala) and UNAMSIL (UN Mission in Sierra Leone), the latter being the largest of today's operations," Mr. Annan said in a statement read by his chief of staff, Under-Secretary-General Iqbal Riza.

"Each of you is also familiar with the development work of the United Nations throughout the world from our long-standing and wide-ranging efforts in your own country," he said, as he wished them well.

The reporters who received the annual fellowships this year were Mani Ngegba Sorie of Sierra Leone, Namini Wijedasa of Sri Lanka, Damakant Jayshi of Nepal and Luisa Fernanda Rodriguez Quiroa of Guatemala.

Mr. Annan called the senior correspondents of UNCA a vital presence, "bringing into the building the hopes and fears of the world's peoples, especially those whose voices are neglected or oppressed, and sending from this building news of action - or inaction."