World Affairs Council of Northern California June 20, 2002 Mr. Kofi Annan Secretary General of the United Nations United Nations S-378 New York, NY 10017 Dear Secretary General Annan, I am writing to invite you to speak to members of the World Affairs Council of Northern //' California, at a time convenient for you when you might be in the Bay Area. As you may know, the Council is one of the oldest and largest foreign affairs organizations in the United States, and engages the public in the exploration of issues and opportunities that transcend borders. In the Bay Area, we have a committed an enthusiastic membership of over 10,000 well- informed individuals with a specific interest in foreign affairs. Our diverse programming includes over 200 public programs per year, teacher and student workshops that reach 3,000 educators and 100,000 students each year, as well as corporate roundtables and a weekly prime- time radio show. The Council is also the driving force behind the Global Philanthropy Forum- a project designed to increase international giving. Recent speakers at the Council include: former U.S. President William Clinton, South African President Thabo Mbeki, Irish President Bertie Ahern, former Polish President Lech Walesa, Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov, Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda, Israeli Cabinet Minister Dan Meridor, David Halberstam, Andrew Grove, and Ahmad Rashid among many others. We assemble events at our San Francisco headquarters, in Silicon Valley and throughout the Bay Area and work closely with major universities such as UC Berkeley and Stanford. Depending on the event, we can arrange a large public program of 300-400 people in San Francisco or smaller, more selective events. We can also extend the audience in several ways: press coverage can be arranged, summaries of major events are published in area newspapers, remarks can be web-cast on our web-site and are sometimes recorded for broadcast on the local NPR affiliate. We can also arrange for special radio interviews. In short, the council offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage an interested and informed community in the Bay Area. I understand that your schedule is quite busy, but I would sincerely appreciate it if you would consider coming to speak to the Council; if you plan to be in the Bay Area please be certain to contact us. I have instructed Larry Malm, a Program Officer at the Council, to follow up with your office. With best regards, 4 12 SUITER STREET, SUITE 200 Jane Wales AN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94108 President and CEO TEL: 415-293-4600 EOSG / CENTRAL FAX: 415-982-5028 WWW.ITSYOURWORLD.ORG.