Secretary-General Kofi Annan today opened the spring session of the Chief Executives Board (CEB), the twice-yearly meeting that brings together the heads of United Nations agencies, funds and programmes.
After a three-hour regular session in Vienna, the Board members attended a luncheon hosted by Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to a UN spokesperson. They then flew by helicopter to Baden, just outside the Austrian capital, where they had a three-hour private discussion.
The World Tourism Organization is the most recent addition to the meeting, having just been added as a UN specialized agency.
This evening, Board members were scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
Last night the Secretary-General had a three-way meeting with Austrian President Thomas Klestil and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who was on an official visit to Austria, the spokesperson said.
They discussed the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, including the humanitarian situation of the Palestinians and blockages at checkpoints that are threatening international aid efforts. They also discussed efforts to make progress in the search for peace, in light of Israel's declared intention to withdraw from Palestinian areas.
In other news, the Secretary-General's Deputy, Louise Fréchette, wrapped up yesterday four days of discussions with high-level European officials in Strasbourg, France, and Brussels to develop further areas of cooperation between the UN and the European Union, before joining the CEB meeting.
Ms. Fréchette met with the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, and with European Commission President Romano Prodi, among other officials, and also spoke about UN reform at a forum organized by the European Policy Centre.