Annan meets group of Brazilian lawmakers

United Nations reform was among the topics discussed during a meeting between Secretary-General Kofi Annan a delegation of Brazilian lawmakers yesterday.

The delegation, headed by the Speaker of Brazil's House of Representatives, João Paulo Cunha, had raised some important issues during the meeting, according to a statement issued by a spokesman for Mr. Annan.

The Brazilians discussed the links between the UN and civil society, Brazil's support of Mr. Annan's plans on UN reform, and how Brazil and the UN could work together better to tackle poverty and hunger, the statement said.

Mr. Annan welcomed the observer status recently granted to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and said the UN relied on the work of parliamentarians to understand the concerns of citizens in Member States, the statement added.