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Annan hosts luncheon in Geneva for heads of state and government

Annan hosts luncheon in Geneva for heads of state and government

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan hosted a luncheon today for the heads of state and government participating in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, one of many official engagements on his program today.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan hosted a luncheon today for the heads of state and government participating in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, one of many official engagements on his program today.

Before the luncheon, Mr. Annan met Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak for talks. He also has bilateral meetings scheduled today with the presidents of Ghana, Romania and Tunisia, and the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia.

The Secretary-General, Mr. Mubarak and the International Telecommunications Union’s Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi also signed and sent an e-mail inviting governments, businesses, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the rest of the international community to participate in Telecom Africa 2004, a conference to be held in Cairo next May.

Mr. Annan’s wife Nane, meanwhile, launched a Global schools and Communities initiative (GeSCI), a joint venture of the UN, Ireland, Sweden and Canada.

“We need to ensure that men and women can participate fully in society, empowered with choices and opportunities,” Mrs. Annan said at the launch.