September 17, 2004 Immediate Prime Minister Paul Martin today announced that he will attend the opening of the 59th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from September 21-22, 2004. While in New York, he will participate in a number of meetings with other leaders and address the General Assembly on September 22. "Canada, as a supporter of multilateral co-operation, a long-time contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, and the seventh-largest donor to the United Nations, remains highly supportive of reform of the United Nations system," said the Prime Minister. "At this year's General Assembly, I will ensure that Canada's voice is heard as the UN prepares for reform and revitalization in order to adapt to the demands facing the world today." The Prime Minister's agenda on September 21 will be dominated by a series of bilateral meetings where leaders will discuss current humanitarian and security challenges and threats facing the world. After addressing the General Assembly on September 22, the Prime Minister will participate in a luncheon meeting on entrepreneurship hosted by UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in follow-up to the G8 Action Plan: Applying the Power of Entrepreneurship to the Eradication of Poverty. The meeting will focus on the implementation of the report of the Commission on the Private Sector and Development, co-chaired by Prime Minister Paul Martin and Ernesto Zedillo. Entitled Unleashing Entrepreneurship: Making Business Work for the Poor, the report contained recommendations to unleash the full economic and social potential of small and mid-size businesses employing and serving the world's poor. Later that day, the Prime Minister will also meet with members of the High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change to discuss the revitalization of the United Nations. Secretary General Kofi Annan established the 16-member body in November, 2003 and gave it the mandate to recommend, by late 2004, ways to strengthen the United Nations by reforming its institutions and processes. Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew will also attend this year's United Nations General Assembly from September 20 -25. - 30 - PMO Press Office: (613) 957-5555
