UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Pays Official Visit to the Russian Federation
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UNESCO UN in RUSSIA UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Pays Official Visit to the Russian Federation United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan flied into Moscow on 4 April for a brief official visit to Russia. On the same day, he was the event, the post-elec- invited to an informal tion situation in that dinner hosted by former Caucasian country was Russian Prime Minister touched upon, amid Evgeni Primakov, cur- other things. rently a member of the blue-ribbon High-Level In line with a long-es- Panel on global security tablished tradition, in threats and reform of the the morning of 5 April international system, or Mr. Annan laid a the Panel on Change. wreath at the Tomb of The dinner was held in a the Unknown Soldier. warm atmosphere and He then proceeded to was attended by a num- a meeting with the ber of the Secretary- newly-appointed Generals colleagues and Prime Minister, Mr. friends. Given the fact Mikhail Fradkov. In that UN Special Repre- particular, the Secre- sentative for Georgia President Vladimir Putin expresses to Kofi Annan his country's Heidi Tagliavini was steadfast support for the United Nations and the Secretary- (To be continued among those present at General's effort aimed at reforming the world body on p. 2) Contents: UNIC Perm Authorities to Promote Tolerance ..................... 8 UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Pays Official Visit Social and Intercultural Aspects to the Russian Federation ........................................ 1 of Migration ............................................................ 9 UNDP World Forum on Human Rights ................................. 9 Problems of the Indigenous Peoples of North UNICEF through the Prism of the UN Millennium Goals .......... 3 Iodine Deficiency Threatens Russia ........................ 10 OCHA The Lost Victory? ................................................... 11 Humanitarian Community Monitors the Closure Young People Helping Young People ...................... 12 of IDP Camps in Ingushetia ...................................... 5 WHO UNHCR Every Breath Counts Stop TB Now! Mr. Kasidis Rochanakorn Appointed the New UNHCR World TB Day 2004............................................... 13 Representative in the Russian Federation .................. 6 WHO No Tobacco Initiative ................................... 15 Microsoft Supports Refugees in St. Petersburg ......... 6 Blood Safety Issues Preventing UNESCO HIV/AIDS .............................................................. 16 Implementation of the UNESCO Programme Library of Health Reform Projects ZdravInform Education for All ................................................... 8 www.zdravinform.ru ............................................... 16 1 UN in RUSSIA UNIC UN Information Centre (Continued from p. 1) the female part of the audience that and the zone of Georgia/Abkhazia perhaps a future Secretary-General conflict. The Secretary-General hailed tary-General informed his counter- was in that hall now, and she would the Presidents recent statement on part that he looked forward to receiv- look back fondly on her experience. HIV/AIDS at the Duma. The issue of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by Russia was also raised. The Secretary- General thanked Russia for securing the release of the Médecins Sans Fron- tières (MSF) aid worker, Arjan Erkel, abducted in Dagestan in 2002. Mr. Annan then had a working lunch with Russian Foreign Minis- ter Mr. Sergei Lavrov. Both had a brief encounter with the press in its aftermath. The Secretary-Generals last official meeting was with Mr. Igor Ivanov, Secretary of the National Security Council, in a first ever visit to the advisory body by a UN Secretary- Mr. Annan lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier General. ing a report by the High-Level Panel on change and expressed hope that UN Member States would muster the political will necessary to live up to its recommendations with a view to adapting the world body to confront key challenges of the day, including conflict prevention and management, elimination of weapons of mass de- struction, poverty eradication and global fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. The parties discussed, among other things, Russias collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Europe. It was indicated that Rus- sian businesses had a growing inter- The UN Secretary-General meets with the Russian Prime Minister, est in fostering corporate responsi- Mr. Mikhail Fradkov bility in a manner encouraged by the Global Compact. In the afternoon, the Secretary-Gen- eral was received by President On his part, the Secretary-General Vladimir Putin for an unexpectedly said he was alarmed by a dramatic long meeting that lasted more than increase in the HIV/AIDS infection an hour and a half. The President ex- in Russia and called for a pro-active pressed his countrys steadfast sup- attitude by the government in re- port for and confidence in the Unit- sponding to this challenge. ed Nations. He also said the Secre- tary-Generals effort aimed at re- The highlights of Mr. Annans Mos- forming the world body had his full cow sojourn also included a visit to a backing. Model UN Conference, which count- ed among its participants some 1,800 The discussion initially focused on high school and University students three important topics Iraq, the Mr. Annan and Russian Foreign from all over Russia. He addressed Middle East and Kosovo. They then Minister Mr. Sergei Lavrov during them briefly, saying to the delight of turned to the situation in Afghanistan their encounter with the press 2 UN in RUSSIA UN Development Programme Problems of the Indigenous Peoples of North through the Prism of the UN Millennium Goals There are 45 small indigenous nations living in Russia; 35 of these, numbering more than 200 thousand people, inhabit 28 regions of the countrys North. The international conference Problems of the Small Indigenous Peoples of Russias North through the Prism of the UN Millennium Goals was dedicated to their future. It took place on April 15 at the Russian Academy of Public Administration. in the Russian Federation, noted that questions of the survival and devel- opment of small indigenous nations are topical not only for Russia but for the entire world. He reminded his audience that leaders from all over the world in 2000 accepted and signed the Millennium Declaration that set the Goals for international development; the first among these was combating poverty. They are entirely pertinent to the problems of small indigenous nations. The proclaimed UN Inter- national Decade of the Worlds In- digenous People ends in 2004. We hope, Mr. Vasiliev emphasized, that consolidating the efforts of all interested Russian and international private and governmental agencies, charity foundations, and nongovern- Presidium of the conference Problems of the Small Indigenous Peoples of mental organizations, and that of the Russias North through the Prism of the UN Millennium Goals business community, will help in solv- ing the socio-economic problems of The organizers of the conference the The development of market reforms the small indigenous nations of the Podruga (Girl Friends) club of pol- in Russia, he hinted, has exacerbated Russian Federation. iticians spouses, the League of Small a number of serious problems among Nations and Ethnic Groups, and the the small indigenous nations. Their Senatorial Club of the RF Federation level of unemployment is seven times Council invited legislators, experts, higher than that overall in the regions representatives of international and where they live; 17% of their people nongovernmental organizations, and are completely illiterate, and their journalists to the conference. average life expectancy is 49. Having conveyed the greetings of Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov, his deputy, Alexander Tor- shin, declared the conference open. Ramazan Abdulatipov In a forceful, emotional speech, Ra- mazan Abdulatipov, Member of the Federation Council and Chairman of the Association of Russias Na- tions, revealed that only 20% of the Stefan Vassilev funds earmarked by the government for dedicated programmes to sustain In his address to the conference, Ste- the small nations reach the regions. fan Vassilev, UN Resident Coordina- tor and United Nations Development Alexander Torshin Programme Resident Representative (To be continued on p. 4) 3 UN in RUSSIA UN Development Programme (Continued from p. 3) nations standards of living are simply the products of the traditional econo- not comparable. Thirty percent of their my, while women must be helped to earn The situation among the young peo- population receives government funds, money within the public economy. ple of the northern nations is cata- ten percent of them through housing strophic due to alcoholism, from and public services that are paid for by The Evin Project is designed to help which 80 percent of them now suffer. the state. Employment and salaries are the young people of the indigenous growing in the areas of management, nations to better adapt to current culture, health care, and education; in conditions and develop an active life the regions, this happens only where strategy. A presentation of this there is oil or a paternalistic local gov- project, which is being implemented ernment. Employment and salaries are in the Evenkii Autonomous Region falling in agriculture and industry, by the Podruga spouses club with which means that the economy is as- the support of the Child Rearing In-