To the Foreign Affairs Committees of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden Copenhagen, 11 October 2005 Dear friends, The Nordic offices of UNDP, UNFPA and WFP are addressing the Foreign Affairs Committees of the five Nordic countries as a follow-up to our address in June 2005. In September 2004 we conducted a field trip to Zambia with seven parliamentarians from all five Nordic parliaments. According to the participants the field trip showed to be a valuable way of understanding the work of UN in the field. We appreciate the Foreign Affairs Committees’ positive response to our address in June and we are now ready with more details for the next field trip for Nordic parliamentarians. The field trip will take place from 7 to 14 January 2006 and the country to visit will be Malawi in Southern Africa. The overall theme for the field trip will be the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and UN reform/improved coordination. The UN country team in Malawi are collectively addressing key development challenges such as gender equality, the emerging food crisis and governance issues (anti-corruption, human rights, strengthening of parliament).The programme will include a mixture of political meetings and field visits. The Nordic Offices of UNDP, UNFPA and WFP would like each of the Foreign Affairs Committees to nominate two members to participate in the field trip. Please get back to us no later than 7 November with these names. Practicalities: When we have names we will revert with a proposed itinerary so that you will have the chance to book your own tickets and we can travel together in a group. We propose that you cover your own travel expenses as well as per diem rate. In return, we will cover all domestic travel in Malawi. Visa is not needed as long as you have a return ticket upon arrival and your passport is valid 6 months beyond your stay.   Vaccinations: We refer to WHO’s recommendations. See www.who.int/ith/en/ Please direct your responses to Mr. Mikael Bjerrum, WFP Nordic Office, tel: +45 35 46 71 30 or e-mail: [email protected]. We are looking forward to your reactions. Yours sincerely, Asger Ryhl Mikael Bjerrum Ragnhild Imerslund Chief Director Chief of Communications UNFPA Nordic Office WFP Nordic Office UNDP Nordic Office