The work came in the form of a two-day conference of donor countries to the recently autonomous island of East Timor in South East Asia that began Tuesday. As East Timorese gear up for independence from Indonesia-expected next May- Annan re-enforced the need for steady and measured giving to the impoverished island that has been occupied by Indonesia since the Portuguese withdrew from their former colony in 1974.

"We look to the donor community again today because much remains to be done in East Timor," Annan told participants in Oslo for the fifth Donors' Conference for East Timor. "Institutions are fragile. Poverty is widespread.The situation of an estimated 60,000 East Timorese refugees has yet to beresolved."

The conference is being hosted by the Government of Norway and will be attended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, UNTAET chief Sergio Vieira deMello, World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn, East Timor's Chief Minister MariAlkatiri and Foreign Minister, José Ramos-Horta.

Annan also emphasized East Timor's economic potentials including markets incoffee and fishing, in addition to oil. "But for all this to happen, East Timor will need donors to stay for the long haul," he said to the fifth Donors' Conference for East Timor. "I urge you to remain engaged."

Previous donor meetings were held in Tokyo (December 1999), Lisbon (June2000), Brussels (December 2000), Dili (March 2001) and Canberra (June 2001).

Annan and his wife Nane also accepted the Torstein Dale Norwegian Red Cross Prize at a meeting with nongovernmental organization representatives. Annan used the opportunity to emphasize the importance of the upcoming International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held next March in Monterrey,Mexico, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to take place next September in Johannesburg, while hailing NGO's as "having long experiencein advocacy on issues ranging from human rights and the environment todevelopment and disarmament."

During subsequent high-level talks with Norwegian officials, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, Mr. Annan discussed Afghanistan, the Middle East and other pressing issues.

The Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan also attended a performance by Oslo school children on war and peace. "The work for peace begins with everyone of us," he said, thanking the children. "I hope that every day,you will keep picturing the world as you would wish it to be, and work to make that dream a reality."