Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | M | M2 Presswire

Transcript of press conference by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at United Nations headquarters, 30 December 2004; page 1 of 2.

Article Excerpt
M2 PRESSWIRE-31 December 2004-UN: Transcript of press conference by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at United Nations headquarters, 30 December 2004; page 1 of 2(C)1994-2004 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:12302004

The Secretary-General: Let me thank you for coming. This is a difficult period for all of us.

I returned to New York yesterday, to join in this effort, to lead the UN effort on the tsunami disaster. First of all let me say that my thoughts and prayers are with the people of the region, and with those in many other countries who have lost loved ones. As the death toll mounts, and we continue to search for the missing, we should also not forget the survivors, especially the poor, and the many millions of vulnerable in that region.

I have also had the chance to speak to all the leaders of the countries affected, not only to offer my condolences, but also to see how the UN and the international community can work with them, and to stress the need for effective coordination of national, regional and international efforts.

This is an unprecedented, global catastrophe and it requires an unprecedented, global response. Over the past few days, it has registered deeply in the consciousness and conscience of the world, as we seek to grasp the speed, the force and magnitude with which it happened.

But we must also remain committed for the longer term. We know that the impact will be felt for a long time to come.

The latest figures speak for themselves: at least 115,000 are dead in the region; half a million injured; 1 million displaced; and at least 5 million in need of immediate assistance.

We have had a good response. As of today, a total of half a billion dollars in assistance has been pledged or received, as well as contributions in kind. More than 30 countries have stepped forward to help, as have millions of individuals from around the world.

As Jan Egeland has told you over the past few days, and I repeated earlier, coordination of the response is now absolutely essential. How well the international community and the affected countries work together now will determine how well we will deal with all aspects of the disaster - both in the immediate and the longer term.

This morning, I met with the heads of UN agencies and those within the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on humanitarian relief. I also met with the newly formed core group, consisting of Australia, India, Japan and the United States; and my last meeting this morning was with the Permanent Representatives of the 12 countries most affected. This afternoon, after I leave you, I will be meeting with the European Union, following up on our efforts to assist.

Above all, I would like to assure the people of the region that the entire United Nations family stands ready to assist, and we stand behind them. We will work with them in every way we can to rebuild their lives, livelihoods and communities devastated by this catastrophe. I will now take a few questions.

Question: Could you give us an indication: there is a core group, there is the United Nations, there is a whole bunch of different groups coordinating - who is taking the leadership role on the humanitarian side of this?...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!