NEWS RELEASES

April 4, 2000 (9:30 a.m. EDT) No. 60

UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT TO VISIT CANADA

Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today announced that the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, will be in Ottawa on April 4 and 5 to consult with the Government of Canada on the issue of war-affected children.

"The protection and plight of war-affected children is central to Canada's human security agenda. Later this month in Accra, we will co-host with Ghana the West African Conference on War-Affected Children, and in September we will host an international conference on this issue in Canada," said Mr. Axworthy. "We have also identified the tragic situation of children in conflict situations as a focus of our presidency of the UN Security Council this month. I welcome this visit by Mr. Otunnu as a timely opportunity to advise him of our activities and to benefit from his expertise as we prepare for these major events."

Mr. Otunnu will begin his visit with an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He will be accompanied by Minister Axworthy, Minister for International Co-operation Maria Minna, and a youth survivor of the conflict in Somalia, who now lives in Canada.

On April 5, the SRSG will address the media and diplomatic community at the National Press Club. Mr. Otunnu will then meet with representatives of the three key departments that deal with war-affected children: the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian International Development Agency. He will conclude his visit at a meeting of the Joint Government-NGO Committee on War-Affected Children, chaired by Senator Landon Pearson, the Prime Minister's personal representative to the 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on Children.

Mr. Otunnu, who was born in Uganda, is a national of Côte d'Ivoire. He was appointed to his post by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in September 1997. A lawyer by training, he was educated at Makerere University, Oxford, and Harvard Law School. Mr. Otunnu served as Uganda's Foreign Minister from 1985 to 1986. His academic work and professional experience have centred on international peace and security, prevention of conflict, reform of multilateral institutions, development, human rights, issues of values, and the future of Africa.

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For further information, media representatives may contact:

Debora Brown

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

(613) 995-1851

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874