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67.

UN Humanitarian Response to Conflicts
and Complex Emergencies

OPENING ADDRESS
BY MR. VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
FOR THE “UN DAY” AT THE INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMA IN
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE COURSE

Palais des Nations, Friday, 19 February 1999

Dr. Cahill,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,

I t gives rue great pleasure to open the “UN Day" of this

exceptional course on humanitarian assistance and I am certain
that endeavors of this nature can and will make a concrete
contribution towards the alleviation of suffering in the world.

We, in the UN office at Geneva - the operational center for many of the
core UN activities in the humanitarian field - are particularly pleased that
this course is taking place here.

Geneva is a major repository of expertise in the humanitarian area. This is
due in part to the presence of all of the major players in the humanitarian aid
domain such as the ICRC, the IFRC and all major NGOs as well as most of the
largest donors. This facilitates a significant streamlining of operating procedures

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