Global Policy Forum

By Jason Topping Cone

Heads of state, in record numbers, will attempt to set out a "blue print" for the United Nation's work in the new millennium when they convene for the Millennium Summit, Louise Frechétte, UN Deputy Secretary General told reporters here on Wednesday.

Frechétte described the impetus for convening the Millennium Summit, which will start in two weeks on September 6 and run until the 8th, was because the "world is going through dramatic changes in world relations." According to Frechétte, the Millennium Summit was called for by Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, as part of a series of reforms he described in a report in 1997.

The UN Reform, as it is called by the 1997 report, is an effort to clean up the often cumbersome bureaucracy that plagues this world body and improve its ability to address changing conditions for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. The UN has cited the massacre in Somalia in 1994 and other regional and internal conflicts such as in East Timor and Kosovo in 1999 as examples of the changing types of peacekeeping interventions it is forced to become involved in. However, the Millennium Summit's focus will be primarily on emerging humanitarian issues such as the HIV-AIDS pandemic, education, and poverty according to the UN.

The heads of state attending the Millennium Summit are expected to deliver speeches to the UN General Assembly and then regroup into four round table groups for closed discussions. According to Frechétte, the topics of discussion during the round table will be decided primarily by chairs of the four groups which will represent four different regions. The regions include African, Asian, Eastern European and Latin American and Caribbean states.

Annan's report "We the People's: The Role of the United Nations in the 21st Century" is suppose to act as the inspiration for the discussions during the round tables. The report outlines several vast goals such as halving the proportion of the world's people (currently 22 percent) whose income is less than a dollar a day by 2015; halve the proportion of people who do not have access to clean water (currently 20 percent) by 2015; and ensuring that all children complete primary education by 2015.

The Millennium Summit is intended to be "very much a working Summit" according to Frechétte. The Millennium Summit is going to be without the typical UN "gala events" added Frechétte.

According to the UN, some 150 heads of state or government are expected attend. During the UN's 50th Anniversary celebration in 1995, 91 heads of state, eight vice presidents, 37 prime ministers, and one crown prince attended the event. Frechétte joked the list "sounds like Christmas doesn't it."

The UN is attempting to bolster support for the Summit amongst the populous of the Metropolitan area, as opposed to rampant animosity at the typical closing of 1st Avenue and other traffic delays, through a strategic advertising campaign. The UN has put posters in 40 percent of the subway cars, telephone kiosks , and bus shelters. Tourists will also find messages on the backs of their subway maps, that include "Global Warming: Green House Gases Cut by January 2010."

The UN has not been known for its public relations prowess and was given the aid of the advertising firm Young & Rubicam Inc. to produce the posters. According to Frechétte, Young & Rubicam did the work pro-bono.

In addition, to the Millennium Summit's plenary and round table discussions several other events will run before and during the Summit. The UN Security Council will have a two hour meeting on September 7 to discuss peacekeeping reform with a focus on the security issues in Africa. The Millennium Peace Summit--a gathering at the UN of various religious leaders--and the Nongovernmental-Department of Information conference, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union will all meet at UN headquarters the week before the start of the Millennium Summit.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C íŸ 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.