UN Special Represenative on Children and Armed Conflict visits Russia

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
17 June 2002

The Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and
Armed conflict, Olara A Otunnu, arrived in Moscow yesterday on a
week-long mission to the Russian Federation, including the Northern
Caucasus. Today, he held extensive discussions with Vladimir
Golubovsky, Deputy Head of the Department of Law and Order of the
Ministry of Interior; Yury Fedetov, Deputy Foreign Minister; Vladimir
Yelagin, Federal Minister for the Coordination of activities in
Chechnya; Valentina Matviyenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian
Federation and Chairperson of the Government Commission for
International Humanitarian Aid; and Alexandre Shabanov, Deputy
Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the State Duma.

On 18 June, Mr. Otunnu leaves for a four-day visit to the northern
Caucasus, where he will meet with the United Nations agencies, the
authorities of the Republics and the civil society, as well as visit
internally displaced persons camps, schools, hospitals and trauma
centres in the Republics of Chechnya, Ingushetiya and North Ossetia,
in the context of his mandate to promote the protection, rights, and
well-being of children affected by war. In particular, he will assess
first-hand and seek to focus attention on the situation of children
affected by the conflict in Chechnya.

The Special Representative serves as international advocate for
children affected by armed conflict by promoting standards and
measures for their protection in times of war as well as their
healing and social reintegration in the aftermath of conflict.

For further information from the Office of the Special Representative
of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
(OSRSG-CAAC), please contact: Maimouna Mills, Communications Officer;
Telephone: 212 – 963 9879;
Facsimile: 212 – 963 0807; E-mail: millsm@un.org