Friday, 17th July 2009-
The annual reception of Monaco’s Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva, marking the fourth anniversary of H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince’s accession to the throne, took place at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva on 13th July 2009.
Over two hundred and thirty people attended: Ambassadors, permanent representatives, diplomats, senior officials from the United Nations – including Mr Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organisation – and key figures from various sectors who are friends of the Principality of Monaco.
In his address, H.E. Mr Robert Fillon, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Monaco to the United Nations Office in Geneva, spoke of the Principality of Monaco's cooperation policy and its multilateral action in support of international organisations in Geneva working in particular in the health or emergency aid sectors. The visit to the Principality, within the space of just a few weeks, of Ms Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organisation and Mr Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS, demonstrates the quality of the relations between Monaco and these international organisations. Along the same lines, H.E. Mr Robert Fillon spoke of the Human Rights Council, whose work is followed with particular attention by the Principality. In 2009 the Human Rights Council carried out for the first time a Universal Periodic Review of the Principality of Monaco (a procedure which is renewed every four years for all United Nations member states), which resulted in in-depth and thorough dialogue between the Monegasque delegation, led by H.E. Mr Franck Biancheri, Government Counsellor for External Relations and International Economic and Financial Affairs, and the various delegations of the member states and observers of the Human Rights Council.
Alongside H.E. Mr Robert Fillon and his wife, were also Ms Mireille Pettit, Director General of the Department of External Relations, Colonel Yannick Bersihand, Senior Commander of the Public Police Force, Mr Frédéric Platini, Director of the Office of International Cooperation, diplomats holding posts at Monaco's Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, as well as the Consul General and the Consul of Monaco in Geneva. |