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Informal UN meeting on Iraq today
United Nations, June 24: The first UN meeting on Iraq`s reconstruction will be held at UN headquarters, the UNDP has confirmed.
United Nations, June 24: The first UN meeting on Iraq's reconstruction will be held at UN headquarters, the UNDP has confirmed.
The "technical consultation on reconstruction needs for
Iraq" will take place today in the trusteeship council chamber
behind closed doors.
Only the welcoming remarks, by UN Development Programme administrator Mark Malloch-Brown, PNUD Iraq humanitarian coordinator Ramiro Lopez and the Coalition authority representative Akila Hashimi will be open to the press, according to the official programme.
The day will be split up into four sessions: a presentation by the coalition provisional authority on current plans and reconstruction challenges, macroeconomic and governance challenges and next steps.
The meetings will only be open to participants: the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, as well as countries including France and Japan plus the European Union.
This meeting is a prelude to the organization of a conference of countries donating to the rebuilding of Iraq, which the US-led Coalition occupying the country hopes to hold later this year and which has been on the UN calendar for months.
Washington has not set its hopes too high.
"It's not a pledging conference. The June meeting is going to be the beginning of an ongoing process for pledges," Alan Larson, under secretary of state for economic affairs, said.
Bureau Report
Only the welcoming remarks, by UN Development Programme administrator Mark Malloch-Brown, PNUD Iraq humanitarian coordinator Ramiro Lopez and the Coalition authority representative Akila Hashimi will be open to the press, according to the official programme.
The day will be split up into four sessions: a presentation by the coalition provisional authority on current plans and reconstruction challenges, macroeconomic and governance challenges and next steps.
The meetings will only be open to participants: the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, as well as countries including France and Japan plus the European Union.
This meeting is a prelude to the organization of a conference of countries donating to the rebuilding of Iraq, which the US-led Coalition occupying the country hopes to hold later this year and which has been on the UN calendar for months.
Washington has not set its hopes too high.
"It's not a pledging conference. The June meeting is going to be the beginning of an ongoing process for pledges," Alan Larson, under secretary of state for economic affairs, said.
Bureau Report