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The Two ~ 4 ~ One News
We'll tell you what happened and what we think about it.
Public School 241, 976 President Street, Brooklyn NY 11225
Grade 5, Mr. Gary Greenberg, Teacher

World Leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit
New York City, September 6-8, 2000

             QUENTON
             TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     Presidents, prime ministers, and kings from 149 countries came to New York City to meet at the United Nations. These world leaders want to try to get together to solve problems and make plans for the future.
     My fifth grade class has been been reading their speeches on the internet. We realize that we are very lucky to live in a country that has good schools and libraries with computers. Some of us also have computers at home. One of the problems the world leaders spoke about is the "digital divide". Some people are able to use computers and many people in poor countries don't have them. If you can't use computers it could be hard to get a good job.   We want to learn as much as we can about them so we started a "techno team" in our class.
     We were able to "cut and paste" the parts of the world leaders’ speeches that we thought were the most interesting when we read them at the United Nations’ web site. We could translate some speeches that were made in French or Spanish into English at altavista.com. We found more interesting information at the New York Times on the web. Several of my classmates came from other countries and they told us how things were there. We also made charts to show what we found out.
     Then, to see how we could help other people, we visited the web sites of charities like UNICEF. I,for one, am sad that so many people are living in poverty. I want to make donations to help change that. After you read our report, I hope you will want to help too.

KOFI ANNAN
SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

       Never before have the leaders of so many nations come together in a single Assembly. This is a unique event. A unique opportunity. And therefore a unique responsibility. You, ladies and gentlemen, are the leaders to whom the world's peoples have entrusted their destiny. They look to you to protect them from the great dangers of our time; and to ensure that all of them can share in its great achievements.
       In an age when human beings have learnt the code of human life, and can transmit their knowledge in seconds from one continent to another, no mother in the world can understand why her child should be left to die, of malnutrition or preventable disease.
       No one can understand why they should be driven from their home, or imprisoned or tortured for expressing their beliefs. No one can understand why the soil their parents tilled has turned to desert, or why their skills have become useless and their family is left hungry.
       Your peoples look to you for a common effort to solve their problems. People want to see this happen between neighbouring countries, and among all the countries of each region. But since today's biggest challenges are global, they expect above all that we will work together at the global level, as the United Nations.

             SHAMEEKA
             TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     It was Kofi Annan's idea to have the leaders of the world come together. He told them they have the ability to make the lives of six billion people better. He said that if all countries would help each other then no one would ever have to go to sleep hungry. No one would die from diseases that can be cured just because they don't have the money to pay for medicine.
     I think he did a good thing. I believe in him. If we try, the world could be a better place.

BHARRAT JAGDEO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA

If humankind is to live in freedom from fear and want it must be of one mind and purpose. Indeed, if we are to survive as a civilisation and even as a species, we must come to learn the virtues of interdependence and international cooperation. It will depend also on our ability to create a new global human order in which every man, woman and child is allowed an opportunity to enjoy a decent standard of living.
On my return to Guyana, my people will be sure to ask of me What good has this Summit brought us? Will it serve to reduce poverty and create jobs and employment for our young people and social security for our old? I call upon our partners in the developed world to respond positively to the needs of especially small developing economies. I invite my colleague Heads of State and Government to join this enterprise to build a brave new world for this and all generations to come.

             PIERRE
             TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
      My family is from Guyana and I would like tell you about what I experienced when I visited there. Guyana is not as rich as America. There are a lot of poor people. There are homeless people. There are people who are suffering from diseases who are begging in the street.
      Mr. Jagdeo make a good point when he said that each man , woman , and child should have decent living conditions. Mr. Jagdeo should build a homeless shelter for poor people. But that will not solve the problem. He will have to create better jobs. Children will need a better education to be able to get those jobs. People who are too old or too sick to work will need social security to help them get money.
     When Mr. Jagedo invites other countries to please help to build a brave new world, he means that those who have more money could come together and help those in need. Interdependence means that we can depend on each other. Then we can have a better world.

WILLIAM CLINTON
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The leaders here assembled can rewrite human history in the new millennium. If we have learned the lessons of the past, we can leave a very different legacy for our children. But we must believe the simple things — that everywhere in every land, people in every station matter. Everyone counts, everyone has a role to play, and we all do better when we help each other.

              JOHN
             TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
    When President Clinton said the world's leaders can rewrite human history he meant they can make good things happen so all of the people can have a better future. America is a rich country. We should not just think about ourselves. People in poor countries need better nutrition and better houses. They need better education so they can get better jobs and improve their lives.

BERTIE AHERN
PRIME MINISTER OF IRELAND

The statistics of poverty and inequality in our world are shocking and shameful. Half the world's population struggling on less than $2 a day; over a billion on less than $1. A quarter of a billion children of 14 and under working, sometimes in terrible conditions.
There was much talk some years ago of a "new world order." Perhaps the phrase "fair world order" better sums up what we should strive for. It recognizes that we live in a society, not a marketplace. It acknowledges that, while not everyone will live in the same way, we are all entitled to dignity and decency.

                      DANEQUA
                     TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
   When you look at these numbers you can see how many people need special care and help. It isn't fair that half the people in the world are living on less than $2 a day. Our government should help their countries so they can have a better life. In order for them to strive for their goals they will need training. We should give them that training so they don't have to struggle. They really need better education.

JIANG ZEMIN
PRESIDENT OF CHINA

     The world is diverse and colorful. Just as there should not be only one color in the universe, so there should not be only one civilization, one social system, one development model or one set of values in the world.
     Each and every country and nation has made its own contribution to the development of human civilization. It is essential to fully respect the diversity of different nations, religions and civilizations, whose co-existence is the very source of vigorous development in the world.
     We should promote the exchanges between different civilizations in a spirit of equality and democracy and encourage them to learn from one another in order to attain common progress.

              RASHIKA
              TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     I agree with the President of China. I really like diversity because it gives us a variety of wonderful things in the world. I enjoy Chinese food and Italian food. I come from Jamaica and many of my friends love the spicy cooking like roti ,or meat patties, that come from there, even though they have never been to Jamaica. We should all learn to respect each other and appreciate our different cultures.

RENE PREVAL
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI

     The Republic of Haiti, two hundred years after the conquest of its political independence still seeks to be released from underdevelopment. We need to guarantee worthy living conditions to all human beings.
     We need to really democratize the new economy of knowledge and information. We note a considerable increase in knowledge and an impressive technological progress, but until now the access is reserved only to some. This constitutes a new source of inequality and division as well between nations. What good is it to put our feet on Mars if hunger reigns in several areas of our planet?
     Without rules of play and referees, this universalization would be a jungle. To build peace and to promote development, we must boldly undertake to invent a world of international good citizenship in order to confront successfully the new challenges of the total world.

               LUCILLE
               TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
         When I went to visit Haiti I felt sad to see how very poor the people were. Some were so skinny you could see their bones and veins. They wore old, dirty clothes. But even though they were suffering, the children still laughed and played with one another. They do not deserve to live a painful life. Monsieur Rene Preval said all human beings should have worthy living conditions. He wants to change the economy so Haiti will not be underdeveloped. And I agree that instead of sending people to Mars, we should be helping people here on Earth.

ARTURO VALLARINO
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA

     The United Nations has become the great depository of the hopes of the world to live peacefully and in prosperity. Unlike long ago, now we do not speak of world-wide wars, but of negotiation of differences, of democracies, of human rights and world-wide security.
     To construct a more equitable XXI Century is a task that will demand a great persistence on the part of all the States and the people. It is necessary to design a program that indeed prevents conflicts, racial and religious intolerance and genocide, that have caused five million deaths in the last decade.
     We profess the greatest respect for the rights of all human beings. This Summit appears like a supreme effort of all the Nations, to make specific lasting agreements, and to construct a new world-wide ethics that leads to permanent peace and harmony.

                  ALEXIS
                   TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     I lived in Panama for five years. I speak Spanish and English. The condition of schools there are very poor because the government doesn't have enough money for the country.
           I was raised in Riobajo. Riobajo is the so called "ghetto" of Panama but the President   is trying to fix that. In Riobajo streets are not paved.   Rats run around in the streets eating trash on the ground. There are houses that are burned down.
     Vice President Vallarino said that the United Nations has helped to stop wars. I also think that the five million deaths because of hatred and genocide is a terrible thing. All of the people of the world should try to help each other.

SHEIKH HASINA
PRIME MINISTER OF BANGLADESH
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim
(In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful)

    Can we afford islands of prosperity in an ocean of suffering and darkness? Let us resolve that as part of a global village, we should work together so that all can benefit from the process of globalization and we can have a win-win outcome at the end.
     International cooperation is a must for eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition and other manifestation of human deprivations. All nations of the world should have equal opportunities to realize their full development potentials.
     Ending discrimination and protecting the weak and the vulnerable are key to achieving justice and equality. We have put special emphasis on women, children, in particular the girl child, and on groups with special needs.
     In this organization, the powerful and the weak, the large and the small, the wealthy and the struggling, come together as equals to address their problems, to forge cooperation and to further understanding. It certainly is in our interest to strive for a United Nations which can fulfill our common goal-a better world for every human being.

            CARMEN
            TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     I wanted to write about Sheikh Hasina is because I am a girl too and I understand what she is saying. In some countries, if the family didn't have enough money to send all of their children to school they only sent the boys to school and left the girl child at home. That is not fair. Girls are human beings and we have a right to be bosses, leaders, presidents and a lot of other things.
    She said we can have a win - win outcome at the end. That means that if there are disagreements about who can have things, we can solve them by sharing.
    The thing that I liked most that she said was, "In this organization, the powerful and the weak, the large and the small, the wealthy and the struggling, come together as equals to address their problems, to forge cooperation and to further understanding". I agree with her because it's true that if only everyone who was rich just gave a little bit of their money to the poor, people everywhere will be better off. No one will be living in poverty and every one will have equal opportunities.
   When Sheikh Hasina started to speak she blessed the people in the name of Allah, the name for her God. Some people have a sickness called xenophobia, and any time they see someone different from them they get scared. When someone does not believe in their same religion they don't talk to them because they are different. It is good to have God's blessing in any religion and they should be grateful.

HELEN CLARK
PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND

On human rights we will seek in particular to protect and promote further the rights of women and of indigenous people. I also believe the United Nations itself can play an even greater role in the promotion of women to leadership roles within ts own organisation.

              KANDYSE
             TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     There were 149 people who spoke at the United Nations Millennium Summit. The Prime Minister of New Zealand was right when she called for more woman to be given the chance to be world leaders.   There were only 7 women speakers. There were more than 140 men . That means that for each woman who spoke, there were 20 men. That is gender inequality. The United Nations is trying to improve that.

BASDEO PANDAY
PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

     Brothers and Sisters of the Human Family, we all face common challenges, common threats:
     Joblessness and poverty.
     The globalisation of narco-trafficking.
     The global HIV/AIDS pandemic.
     The degradation of the environment.
     And, to mankind's eternal shame, racism, and religious intolerance.

     Out of our great diversity have come the essential spirit of our people, our celebration of life. Those essences and our spirit were present here in New York, in the Street Carnival on Labour Day, on Monday. You see it, too, whenever you hear the music of the steel bands anywhere in the world.
     We must provide shelter, nutrition, health services, education and training, and security for our people. We must also directly provide assistance to those of our citizens who are still trapped in poverty.
     And we must, through our policies, deliver jobs.
     Now, we recognise the threat of the new digital divide. We urge the United Nations to ensure equitable co-ordination in the field of science and technology, particularly information technology.
     May the Blessings that we ask of God find full expression in the prosperity of all the peoples of the world, and in peace among all peoples of all nations.

          ABIGAIL
          TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     I come from Trinidad and I like the way our Prime Minister started his speech by calling all of the world leaders "Brothers and Sisters of the Human Family". We do like to treat everyone like family in Trinidad. My own family plays the steel drums that Trinidad is famous for and my father, my sister, and I all played in the Carnival in New York that Mr. Basdeo spoke about. We love to play at parties and celebrations where everyone can sing, dance, and be happy. But being part of the human family also means that we must help others who are having hard times. That is why Mr. Basdeo said we must come together to solve the world's problems and I agree with him.

P.J. PATTERSON
PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA

     In earlier times, philosophers, poets and other visionaries recognized the existence of one human family. It is a concept which our people have grown increasingly to accept. Photographs from space, showing a single Earth suspended in space, have served dramatically to confirm the sense of one borderless world, of human unity and global oneness.
     Poverty remains the single greatest challenge facing mankind. Half of the world's peoples suffer the powerlessness of extreme poverty. We live in a fool's paradise to think that the status quo can be indefinitely maintained. Even as they experience its harsh realities, the globalised media now enable the poor to see how the rich actually live.
    Let us exploit the digital revolution for human development, in the creation of a global knowledge-based economy. Let there be effective and meaningful collaboration among the international community so that information technology can impact positively on the lives of all our people.
    There must be no gender disparity in this new revolution. It must embrace our children and youth; the disabled; our rural communities and ethnic minorities.
     The challenge that faces this Millennium Assembly is the age old one that has faced humanity at all turning points in history. Do we ignore the signals of self-destruction, or do we heed them and change course?
     We must strengthen the United Nations by making it a truly democratic instrument of human progress.

               SIERRA
               TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     The Prime Minister said that poverty is the biggest problem facing mankind. When I visited my uncle's home in Jamaica I didn't experience that. He owns a business there. If you have ever been to Jamaica you may have heard of Bigga's Soda. My favorite flavor is grapefruit. Bigga is my uncle. His house is different from houses here in New York City. The kitchen is in a separate place outside and the bathroom is separate also.
     But I saw other people there and here at home too who are powerless and helpless. Prime Minister Patterson said that some people are rich and they don't care about the poor. I remember one time when I was walking on the road in Jamaica with my mother and she gave twenty dollars to a poor family. I agree with the Prime Minister that people should help each other.
     I am also interested in what he said about information technology. We are learning to use computers and getting information from the internet right now for our report. But I, and most of the kids in my class, don't have computers at home. And my friends in Jamaica didn't even have them in school. In some poor countries the kids can't even afford to buy notebooks and writing paper. They just use small slates and they have to rub off the chalk after every lesson. How can they study like that? We should all be able to learn to use technology to get good jobs in the future.

OLUSEGUN OBASANJO
PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA
(New York Times interview 9/4/00)

The wishes of the developing world are simple. We are all living in the same house, whether you are developed or not developed. What we are saying is that some of us in this house are living in superluxurious rooms; others are living in something not better than an unkempt kitchen where pipes are leaking and there is no toilet. We are saying, 'Look, in the interest of all of us, let us living in the superluxurious rooms pay a bit of attention to those who are living where the pipes are leaking, or we'll all be badly affected.'

                   AMANDA
                   TECHNO TEAM MEMBER
     The President of Nigeria said we should pay attention to the poor people. It is selfish to just want more for ourselves. It is unfair that some people can afford to live in a superluxurious house with their own swimming pool while others don't even have running water or a toilet. When I go to church on Sunday I give money to the poor, even though I'm not rich. If the rich people would give more to charities, it would make things better for everyone.