Posted September. 05, 2000 12:54,
The Millennium Summit will bring together the leaders of more than 150 countries from all over the world at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September6 to open a three-day conference.
The agenda for the United Nations in the 21st Century will focus on exploring "a new path in an new era" for the world body that has increased its membership to 188 since it was founded upon the close of World War II, , the New York Times reported earlier this week.
How the meeting will proceed:
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Anan and the chairman of the General Assembly will address the gala opening ceremonies on the morning of September 6, to be followed by President Bill Clinton of the United States as the head of state hosting the conference. Then, the presidents, prime ministers and other equivalent-ranking representatives of the participating nations and governments will make five-minute speeches through September 8, each according to preset schedule.
What will be discussed:
Discussions will center on a new role and status of the United Nations, adapting itself to the changing times based on the Internet and globalization in the 21st century. The new goals of the global village will be outlined in a declaration, "The Direction of the International Community in the 21st Century" being prepared through multilateral consultations among various U.N. delegations representing its members. The eight-page paper deals with international peace and security, poverty reduction and the environment. The question of the National Missile Defense system, which U.S. President Clinton decided last week to shelve, might also be a subject of heated debate during the talks.
New York under siege:
The unusually large number of heads of state and similar VIPs, totaling 245 persons, is bound to excessively alert, strain and overwork the New York police force and U.S. federal security authorities to protect and escort the many heavyweights from across the globe. New York City plans to deploy more than 6,000 police reinforcements to its regular duty force, assisted by additional personnel from the Internal Revenue Service and customs agencies.