A/57/PV.87 General Assembly

I wish to draw the attention of the General Assembly to the letter dated 21 May 2003 from the Secretary-General addressed to me, which is contained in document A/57/816. In his letter, the Secretary-General makes reference to his letter of 18 October 2002, also addressed to me, in which he informed me of his decision to donate his share of the Nobel Peace Prize award for the purpose of establishing a United Nations Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Fund to support the education of the children of United Nations staff members who have given their lives in the service of peace. The Secretary-General sought my concurrence with his proposal that the Organization’s share be used in the same way. The Secretary-General also makes reference to my letter of 27 March 2003 addressed to him, in which I indicated that I had already, in my personal capacity, fully endorsed his proposal and that I had conducted consultations on the matter with members of the General Committee of the General Assembly. I also requested the Secretary-General to prepare a brief formal report for submission to the General Assembly for its consideration. The Secretary-General’s report is annexed to document A/57/816. In his report, the Secretary-General states that the purpose of the report is to seek the concurrence of the General Assembly regarding the disposition of the United Nations portion of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded in 2001, in two equal parts — to the United Nations as such, and to its Secretary-General — for our work for a more peaceful world. As the Assembly knows, the Nobel Peace Prize comes with a financial award of approximately $1 million. The Secretary-General firmly believes that the dedicated staff of the Organization has made the United Nations worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize and that it would be appropriate to use the entire award for those who have made the greatest sacrifice by giving their lives for the cause of peace. To that effect, the Secretary-General proposes to establish a United Nations Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Fund for the receipt and administration of the proceeds of the Nobel Peace Prize. The purpose of the Fund would be to provide financial assistance for the education of children of United Nations civilian personnel who have been killed in the line of duty in the service of peace. The Fund, which would function as a special account under the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations, could also receive and administer further contributions that are made for the same purpose. The Secretary-General hopes that the General Assembly will concur with his proposal that the United Nations Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Fund receive the full amount of the Nobel Peace Prize award. If there is no objection, may I take it that the General Assembly decides that the United Nations portion of the Nobel Peace Prize award be donated to the United Nations Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Fund?

I should like to take this opportunity to express my deep personal satisfaction at the decision just taken by the General Assembly. When I learned last October about the Secretary-General’s proposal that the United Nations portion of the Nobel Peace Prize award be donated to the United Nations Nobel Peace Prize Memorial Fund, I — as I have just said — endorsed it in my personal capacity on the occasion of United Nations Staff Day. Later, I conducted consultations on the matter with members of the General Committee with the aim of bringing the matter to the attention of the Assembly. Today’s decision concurs with the firm belief of the Secretary-General that the dedicated staff of the Organization help to make the United Nations worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, and that it is completely appropriate to use the entire award for those who have made the greatest sacrifice by giving their lives for the cause of peace. It is my strong belief that the establishment of this Fund will provide much-needed financial assistance for the education of children of United Nations civilian personnel who have been killed in the line of duty. Their parents gave their lives in the service of peace. The Fund will help the children of those who made the supreme sacrifice. The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 10. Programme of work

I should like to confirm that, on Friday, 6 June 2003 at 10 a.m., the General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting to elect the President of the Assembly for its fifty-eighth session, followed by consecutive meetings of the six Main Committees to elect their Chairpersons, which will be immediately followed by another plenary meeting of the General Assembly to elect the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly. I should also like to make an announcement concerning the general debate of the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly. The first list of speakers will be faxed to all Missions tomorrow, 30 May. And I should like to remind representatives that, in accordance with the practice of recent sessions of the General Assembly, a voluntary 15-minute time limit should be observed during the general debate. The list of speakers was prepared on the basis of that time limit. To help speakers in the general debate to respect the time limit, a mechanism will be installed at the rostrum. Representatives may wish to take the time limit into account in their advice to their capitals as their respective statements are being drafted.