Go Between 65, Aug.-Sept. 1997 UN NEWS SG ANNAN UNVEILS UN REFORM PROPOSALS On 16 July UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented his report on Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for Reform to the General Assembly (A/51/950). Mr. Annan said his report contains three types of measures: the first, known as track one measures (see Go Between 63) are those that the SG can undertake on his own initiative; track two measures are those requiring approval of member states. Several more fundamental proposals make up the third type of measures aimed at longer term action by the General Assembly, which will take up the report at its 52nd session. Mr. Annan said the UN has to be significantly reconfigured in order to do better what the international community requires it to do. Undertaking the changes, he said, will also realize significant administrative efficiencies and thus produce savings in many instances. Those net savings, he added, should be made available to the organization s highest priority, alleviating poverty and enhancing the prospects of developing countries. The UN Secretariat s leadership and work programme will be reconfigured into four sectors: peace and security; economic and social affairs; development operations; and humanitarian affairs, with human rights as a cross-cutting issue. A Senior Management Group will be established to advise the Secretary-General and assist him in achieving unity of purpose and direction across the United Nations, including its funds and programmes. Chaired by the Secretary-General, membership will include convenors of the four Executive Committees, which will be set up for each of the four sectors described above, plus several additional senior managers selected by the Secretary-General. A Strategic Planning Unit will be created to support the Secretary-General and the Senior Management Group by assuring the organization has access to the best available policy information. Mr. Annan is also setting up Executive Committees for each sector to bring together all UN departments, programmes and funds around the organization s core missions and provide a framework for reform. The report suggests member states, among other things, approve the establishment of a post of Deputy Secretary-General to undertake responsibilities at the request of the Secretary-General, deputize for the SG, and perform a particular role in issues that cross functional sectors and units, as in complex emergencies or in transitions from peace-keeping to post conflict peace-making. If the SG s proposal to establish a new Office of Development Financing is agreed, the Deputy Secretary-General would take the lead in initiating innovative means of mobilizing new financial resources for development. The report also asks member states to consider strengthening the GA s role in setting strategic directions and focus for the organization, and it recommends that each initiative involving new organizational structures and/or major commitments of funds be subjected to specific time limits by which it would be reviewed and renewed only by explicit action of the General Assembly. The SG s initiatives to streamline the UN include the following: consolidate three economic and social departments into a single Department of Economic and Social Affairs; consolidate entities in the Secretariat that support the work of the organization s legislative bodies and conferences into a Department of General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services; consolidate the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Centre for Human Rights into an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; replace the Department of Humanitarian Affairs with an office of the Emergency Relief Coordinator; establish an Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention to consolidate the UN s efforts in combatting crime, drugs and terrorism, and strengthen Vienna as the locus for these efforts; and reconstitute the UN Centre for Disarmament Affairs as the Department for Disarmament and Arms Regulation. With the approval of member states, the report suggests reviewing the roles of the regional commissions; streamlining the agenda for the Commission on Human Rights; supporting proposals to consolidate and reconfigure the UN Economic and Social Council s (ECOSOC) subsidiary bodies and strengthen the capacity of ECOSOC to promote coordinated macro-economic dialogue on new and emerging issues; and consider establishing a Special Commission at the ministerial level to examine possible changes in the UN Charter and in treaties from which specialized agencies derive their mandates. To increase managerial efficiency, the report says overhead costs in the regular budget will be reduced by one-third, with the resulting dividend reallocated to development; an electronic United Nations will be created to give missions, NGOs and the public greater access to UN documents, publications and other information; more authority and responsibility will be delegated to managers; resources will be increased for staff development training; every member state will be represented in the Secretariat by 1999; and significant progress will be achieved on realizing the UN s gender equality goals. The report suggests using budgeting for results in the UN systems of planning, budgeting and performance reporting, instead of a system based on accounting for inputs. Under this approach, the GA would specify results it expects the organization to achieve within specified budgetary constraints, and it would delegate greater responsibility to the Secretary-General for determining how to achieve them. To shift resources from administration and create a development dividend, the SG s initiatives include making at least US$200 million available for the biennium beginning in the year 2002 for development activities from savings obtained from the regular budget. With member states support and approval, he proposes a development account be established along with specific objectives to be funded by the savings resulting from reductions of administration and other overhead costs. The development dividend would be achieved by supporting management reforms in the Secretariat and reducing non-essential meetings and documents. Pending a lasting solution of the organization s financial situation, the SG proposes that a revolving credit fund be established by member states, initially capitalized at up to US$1 billion, through voluntary contributions or other means that member states suggest. To achieve greater coherence for the UN at the country level, Mr. Annan s initiatives include, among other things: make all funds, programmes and UN Information Centres part of a single UN office under the Resident Coordinator; develop and implement a UN Development Assistance Framework in close consultation with governments; establish a common premises at the country level as UN House (with the first such designation effective immediately in South Africa); and further rationalize common premises and common services worldwide. The SG also suggests that in the year 2000 the GA be convened as a special Millennium Assembly with a summit segment at which heads of government could articulate and agree on a process for fundamental review of the role of the UN. Consideration could also be given to encouraging representatives of civil society to hold a People s Millennium Assembly as a separate, companion event. In addition, a Task Force on the Reorientation of United Nations Public Information Activities, set up on 17 March as part of the reform effort, recommended the Department of Public Information be reorganized and merged into three broad functions at the division level: Media Services; Public Affairs; and Information Resources. A summary of the measures is contained in the UN bulletin Re-form; a copy is enclosed with this Go Between. Contact: NGLS, Room FF-346, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 3125, fax +1-212/963 8712, e-mail , web page (www.unorg/reform). WORKING GROUP ON STRENGTHENING UN SYSTEM On 15 July the General Assembly Working Group on the Strengthening of the United Nations System (WGUNS) completed what it called one of the broadest reviews of the functioning of the General Assembly and the UN Secretariat ever undertaken. The process of consensus-building was long and hard, noted GA President and working group chair Razali Ismail (Malaysia), and several key matters remain for further deliberations by other groups in the future, but the bottom line is that the multilateral process worked. Consensus was achieved on almost 100 measures, including a new, accelerated schedule and measures to streamline and rationalize the GA s agenda and work of its Main Committees and other subordinate bodies; and standard four-year terms of office, renewable once, for the heads of programmes, funds and other UN bodies. The group also agreed on the SG s annual report on the work of the UN; the budget process and fulfilment of mandates; oversight and accountability of the Secretariat and its independence; external and internal mechanisms; and the process of selection of the Secretary-General. The group could not agree on a term limit for the SG or the length of the term. However, it did agree that the selection process should be more transparent; the GA should make full use of its power of appointment under the UN Charter; and the GA President could play a useful role in identifying potential candidates. The group urged that the SG be appointed no later than one month before the date on which the term of the incumbent expires and that the duration of the term, including the option of a single term, be considered before the appointment of the next Secretary-General in the year 2001. The group was also unable to achieve consensus on, among other things, the use of gratis personnel loaned by governments to the United Nations; the question of establishing a post of Deputy Secretary-General; public information; in-depth review and rationalization of the subsidiary bodies; and NGO participation in the work of the UN. Items related to UN reform, including implementation of the working group s recommendations, will be reviewed during the 52nd UN General Assembly, which opens in September 1997. AFRICAN GOVERNANCE FORUM The first annual African Governance Forum met in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on 11-12 July to discuss governance on the continent and ways to build consensus, improve coordination and mobilize resources on a more predictable basis. The forum, hosted by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), was convened in the context of the UN System-Wide Special Initiative on Africa (see Go Between 57), under which UNDP and ECA share responsibility to improve coordination and collaboration in implementing programmes and assisting in mobilizing resources at regional and country levels. Fourteen African governments were represented at the ministerial level and 14 others participated as observers. Representatives of 18 donor institutions and six UN organizations, as well as the Bretton Woods Institutions, also attended. Consensus on the essential practices of good governance focused on leadership building; transparency and accountability; civil society empowerment; gender mainstreaming and the advancement of women; political transition (support to parliamentary processes, independent judiciary, and electoral authorities); peace and stability; the rule of law; constitutional guarantees; and free and responsible media and press. Also during the forum, UNDP Administrator James Speth and OAU Secretary-General Salim Ahmed Salim signed a US$3 million project agreement to strengthen conflict resolution efforts in Africa. The initiative will support peace-building and sustainable development, and it will provide training, expertise and modernized information systems to the OAU Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. Contact: Peter da Costa, Cabinet Office of the Executive Secretary, ECA, PO Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, telephone +251-1/515826 (direct) or 517200 ext 35486, fax +251-1/512233, e-mail , web site (http://www.un.org/depts/eca). UNCTAD TECHNICAL COOPERATION STRATEGY On 27 June the UN Trade and Development Conference s (UNCTAD) board adopted a strategy for UNCTAD technical cooperation activities that will remain in force until UNCTAD X, to be held in the year 2000.The strategy, which will be implemented through annually updated three-year plans, calls for strengthened cooperation with the private sector, NGOs and the academic community, both as beneficiaries and as sources of expertise. On the basis of the strategy, the UNCTAD secretariat prepared for the first time an annual plan for its technical cooperation. The budget of approved projects for 1997 amounts to almost US$30 million, compared to about US$25 million in 1996. Half of this amount will be devoted to practical assistance in the areas of service infrastructure and trade efficiency, including transport. The other half will be allocated to activities such as debt management, trade analysis, enterprise development, and innovation and investment policies. Nearly 40% of the funds are assigned to the least developed countries, in line with member states recommendation that priority be given to the 48 poorest countries. Nearly one-third of the approved projects are destined for Africa. The strategy aims to enhance the human and institutional capacities of developing countries and those with economies in transition, and to promote their own development process. A key objective is to improve the ability of countries to participate fully in international trade, investment and production. Practical activities in those areas will be interlinked with UNCTAD s analytical work, which will include national case studies and policy reviews on specific development issues; advisory services, training, software and manuals on best practices for human resources and institution building; and dissemination of databases for use by governments or civil society. UNCTAD will cooperate closely with the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Trade Centre (ITC), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other agencies to optimize the impact of trade and investment-related technical cooperation. There will also be a systematic exchange of information and best practices. Contact: John Burley, Chief, Technical Cooperation Policy and Coordination Unit, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/907 5736, fax +41-22/907 0043, e-mail . UNCTAD AND UNEP SIGN AGREEMENT On July 14 the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) signed a memorandum of understanding on a technical assistance programme designed to promote the complementarity of trade, environment and development objectives in developing countries. The memorandum was signed in Geneva by UNCTAD Secretary General Rubens Ricupero and UNEP Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell. Under the agreement, UNCTAD and UNEP will develop policy options for governments of developing countries to consider when seeking to integrate environmental considerations in their macroeconomic policies, including trade policies. At the national level, the programme will aim to enhance understanding of the economic, social, institutional and political implications of integrating environmental considerations in development planning and decision making; environmental impacts of trade policies and agreements; trade impacts of environmental policies and agreements; and effects of the use of trade measures and positive measures in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) on the achievement of environmental objectives and on trade and competitiveness. Contact: Hussein Abaza, UNEP, Geneva Executive Centre, 15 chemin des AnÇmones, CH-1219 ChÉtelaine, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/979 9179, fax +41-22/796 9240, e-mail . DENMARK HOLDS SEMINARS FOR SOCIAL PROGRESS The government of Denmark is holding a series of Copenhagen Seminars for Social Progress as part of the follow-up process to the 1995 World Summit for Social Development. The aim of the seminars is to analyze, challenge and enrich the information, ideas and values that underlie debates and policies on social development. The first seminar, held in Havreholm (Denmark) on 4-6 October 1996, focused on Conditions for Social Progress: A World Economy for the Benefit of All. A report on the seminar, which was chaired by Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Poul Nielson, summarizes issues discussed, including the rise of global capitalism; obstacles to social progress; democratizing the globalization process; developing a culture of solidarity; sharing values for a global community; and actors and institutions to create a humane world economy. The report also contains a series of thought-provoking background papers to the seminar. The theme of this year s seminar, scheduled for October, is Conditions for Social Progress: Meet and Create Markets. Contact: Jacques Baudot, Secretary of the Copenhagen Seminars, Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 Asiatisk Plads, 1448 Copenhagen K, Denmark, telephone +45-33/92 02 33, fax +45-33/92 08 12. INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE MEETS The 85th International Labour Conference, which concluded its work on 19 June in Geneva at the International Labour Office (ILO), has adopted a US$481 million budget for ILO programmes in 1998-1999. The programme includes four priority areas: revitalization of ILO standard setting activities; the fight against child labour; follow up to the 1995 World Summit for Social Development; and to the 1995 World Conference on Women. This year s session of the conference was marked by lively debate on the merits of proposals contained in a report on standard setting activities submitted by ILO Director-General Michel Hansenne. The most far-reaching of these proposals aims to ensure universal respect for fundamental human rights in the work place through the adoption in 1998 of a declaration to complement the ILO constitution. The declaration would provide for strengthened supervisory mechanisms to promote these principles and monitor compliance in all ILO member states. These principles include freedom of association, collective bargaining, nondiscrimination in hiring and wages, and a ban on slavery and elimination of child labour. Among other measures, the Director-General's report called for regular publication of progress reports by the ILO on the efforts made in each country to translate economic development resulting from liberalization of trade into genuine social progress and the introduction of a voluntary, global system of "social labelling" to guarantee that internationally-traded goods are produced under humane conditions. Contact: Tom Netter, ILO Press, ILO, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/799 7973, fax +41-22/799 8577. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF UNIDO POSITIVE The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has become more responsive, effective and efficient, according to an independent study commissioned by Denmark. The study, carried out between January and May, said UNIDO has brought down its administrative and operational costs of technical cooperation delivery from 22% in 1993 to 14.55% in 1996. This gives UNIDO the lowest administrative and operational support costs-to-delivery ration among the UN agencies using the same measurement methodology, says the study. The study urges all member states to continue supporting UNIDO s work since it says there is a definite need for an independent industrial development organization in the UN system: There are clearly identifiable needs, and even increasingly so, for the kinds of services provided by the organization, and UNIDO has proved capable since 1995 of adjusting its portfolio or services and modes of operating. UNIDO has set new objectives, revised its priorities and developed new, highly relevant programmes in support of industrial development, according to the study. This has led to a sharpening of UNIDO s focus on the poorest developing countries, on priority industrial subsectors and on essential development issues, such as private sector development, environment, industrial policy advice and investment promotion. Contact: Mirjana Tomic, UNIDO, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 300, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/21131 4350, fax +43-1/21131 6881, e-mail . CEDAW HOLDS 17TH SESSION IN NEW YORK The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) held its 17th session at UN headquarters in New York from 7-25 July. The 23 experts of CEDAW, serving in their personal capacity, monitor implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which was adopted by the General Assembly in 1979 and entered into force in 1981. The convention has been ratified by 160 countries. Country reports presented to the session were on Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Bangladesh, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg and Namibia. Two special consultations were held on 10 and 17 July so that NGOs could give presentations to CEDAW experts on the situation of women in countries that presented reports. At its previous session, CEDAW revised guidelines for reports by inviting governments to include information on measures taken to implement the Beijing Platform for Action. The committee also urged the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to prepare an optional protocol to the convention which would allow individuals and groups the right to petition CEDAW directly about violations of women s rights. The next session of CEDAW will meet in New York from 12-30 January 1998, with presession consultations planned for 5-9 January. Contact: CEDAW, UN Division for the Advancement of Women, 2 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/963 3463, e-mail . INTERNATIONAL DAY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE On 7-8 August indigenous leaders and elders from around the world gathered at UN headquarters in New York to observe the International Day of the World s Indigenous People (9 August). The event began with a sacred pipe ceremony led by Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota Nation and included songs and dances. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan underscored efforts to draw up a declaration on indigenous rights as soon as possible to create a framework for national and international action in favour of indigenous people. He added that a proposal made by the 1993 Vienna Human Rights Conference to establish a permanent forum for indigenous people within the UN is under serious discussion. Indigenous people should be brought into all projects that affect them as a matter of principle and as a means of guaranteeing the success of the projects, he said. Indigenous people are renowned as guardians of nature. They were the first proponents of sustainable development. We need to call on their expertise, experience and wisdom as we seek solutions to the problems of the new century. A panel discussion on land and natural resources followed, and an interactive briefing session for indigenous peoples was held on 8 August with UN representatives. Contact: Julian Burger, High Commissioner for Human Rights/Centre for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 3413, fax +41-22/917 0212, web site (http://www.unhchr.ch). HUMAN RIGHTS MEETING RAISES IMPUNITY The 49th session of the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, which met on 4-29 August in Geneva, discussed the question of human rights violations concerning economic, social and cultural rights (ESCRs). Discussion on the topic was in response to a resolution passed last year, which was initiated by NGOs. The final report (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1997/8) by Special Rapporteur Judge El Hadji GuissÇ (Senegal) breaks new ground because it presents the issue of impunity on violations of ESCRs as distinct from impunity of perpetrators of civil and political rights violations. The latter tend to receive greater emphasis in human rights debates. Judge GuissÇ said the debt burden of many developing countries, together with other factors such as corruption and the fiscal squeeze of past structural adjustment programmes, can be seen as direct violations of individual ESCRs. These include the right to health, adequate food, adequate housing and education as detailed in relevant international instruments. Measures to substantially reduce the debt burden, particularly in Africa, and to combat corruption should be treated, among other measures, as obligations under international law. He also recommended that member states that have ratified the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights abide by their obligations by harmonizing international and domestic laws on these questions. In domestic law, says the report, all mechanisms and practices leading to violations of [ESCRs] should be identified as punishable offenses, giving entitlement to compensation. While repressive and/or remedial action would constitute a necessary mechanism to ensure the fulfilment of ESCRs, the preferred course of action should be preventative through, inter alia, redistributive policies, in which NGOs would play an important information and campaigning role. Judge GuissÇ said he considers the report to be the start of a process rather than an end product, and he recommended a high-level meeting with development and financial institutions affiliated to the UN, including the International Monetary Fund, to discuss the issue of impunity and giving these rights greater juridical value. Contact: Research and Right to Development Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 1169, fax +41-22/917 0212, e-mail , web site (www.unhchr.ch). WORLD FOOD DAY 1997 Investing in Food Security is the theme for World Food Day to be held on 16 October, the 52nd anniversary of the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The theme highlights the need to create conditions and incentives to promote investment in sectors and activities that will lead to food security for all. This year s World Food Day activities will provide the opportunity to focus on the policies, programmes and actions undertaken or planned by governments and FAO in partnership with all members of civil society and the international community as follow-up to the 1996 World Food Summit. These include expansion of FAO s Special Programme for Food Security, which targets low-income food-deficit countries with the aim of raising food production and alleviating rural poverty; and the launching of the Food for All Campaign. FAO says defeating hunger does not depend simply on producing more food. The only sustainable way to achieve food security for the poor is by increasing their access to food. This can be done, for example, by making appropriate agricultural technologies available to poor farmers; improving the rural poor s access to credit for agriculture; investing in productive assets like small-scale irrigation systems that benefit the small farmer; improving health and primary education, especially for girls; and ensuring that the poor are able to participate in the planning of development programmes. Contact: Edgardo Valenzuela, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5705 4189, fax +39-6/5705 3210, e-mail . OBSOLETE AFRICAN PESTICIDE STOCKS The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has disposed of 370 tons of unused toxic pesticides in Zambia and the Seychelles as part of its on-going programme to help developing countries clean up obsolete pesticides. Storage sites have been cleaned and highly dangerous and persistent chemicals, such as DDT, have been shipped to Europe for incineration. Most of the pesticides were unused stocks donated through foreign aid programmes. The cost of the removal was US$1.3 million; FAO received financial assistance from The Netherlands and the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ). Obsolete pesticide stocks pose a serious threat to public health and the environment, said FAO Agricultural Officer Alemayehu Wodageneh. Storage conditions rarely meet international standards. In many countries, pesticide containers are kept in the open, containers deteriorate and leak their contents into the soil....Many of these chemicals are so toxic that a few grams could poison thousands of people or contaminate a large area. FAO says donor countries, aid agencies, agrochemical companies and recipient governments are all responsible for the steady accumulation of obsolete pesticides in developing countries. It estimates that there are more than 100,000 tons of obsolete pesticides in developing countries, with 20,000 tons in Africa. Contact: A. Wodageneh, Agricultural Officer, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5705 5192, fax +39-6/5705 6347, e-mail , web site (http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/agricult/agp/agpp/pesticid/de fault.htm). FOURTH PREPCOM ON CRIMINAL COURT The fourth session of the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC), which met from 4-15 August in New York, concentrated its discussions in two working groups, the first on complementarity and trigger mechanisms, and the second on procedural matters. Complementarity involves the relationship between the international criminal court and national jurisdictions. Trigger mechanisms refers to the question of what, or which actors could initiate or trigger court proceedings. The first working group presented texts corresponding to articles 21-25 and article 35 of the original 60-article draft statute on the creation of the ICC. The chair recommended their inclusion in the draft consolidated text of the proposed court s statute. The working group on procedural matters presented to the preparatory committee a consolidated text on notification of indictment; trial in presence of the accused; proceedings on an admission of guilt; investigation of alleged crimes; functions and power of the trial chamber; commencement of prosecution; presumption of innocence; rights of the accused; and protection of victims and witnesses. Members of the NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court said they are optimistic about plans to establish the court but worry that many countries are still unwilling to grant it full authority. Many are advocating that the court be given inherent jurisdiction to prosecute accused criminals without first having to obtain the consent of interested states. Current drafts of the statute only give it such power in cases involving genocide. Many NGOs would also like the court to operate without oversight by the UN Security Council. Some member states say the Security Council should approve cases to be considered by the court, while NGOs want it to be empowered to conduct its own investigations, with prosecutors permitted to trigger investigations once any source provides information about rights violations. Also undecided is the question of whether sentencing should be left entirely to the ICC itself, or whether minimum or maximum sentences should be set beforehand. The next session of the preparatory committee, which takes place from 1-12 December, is expected to concentrate on international cooperation and judicial assistance; penalties; procedural matters; and general principles of criminal law. Intersessional meetings are likely to take place. The plenipotentiary conference on the creation of the proposed court will be held in June 1998 in Rome. Contact: Rik Panganiban, World Federalist Movement, 777 UN Plaza, 12th floor, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/687 2176, fax +1-212/599 1332, e-mail . The web site of the NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court (CICC) can be accessed at (http://www.igc.apc.org/icc). See also Go Between 63, 60, 54 and 52. UN AND NGO NEWS SAPRI INITIATIVE LAUNCHED An unprecedented joint exercise to review structural adjustment programmes was launched on 14 July by the World Bank, several member countries and a coalition of over 500 NGOs. The Structural Adjustment Participatory Review Initiative (SAPRI) will involve an assessment of structural adjustment programmes through a series of national public fora and participatory field investigations (see Go Between 61). The initiative is expected to take 12-18 months and will be carried out in up to ten countries. Countries selected for review to date are: Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ghana, Hungary, Mali, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The coalition of NGOs is being coordinated by an international steering committee headed by Doug Hellinger of Development Group for Alternative Policies, an NGO based in Washington DC. Under the initiative, a national steering committee comprising local NGOs, the government and the World Bank will be set up in each country to examine the effects of World Bank policies on all social groups. Special emphasis will be given to understanding the impact of the bank s policies on those who have not benefited and those who have not participated in the policymaking process. The results of the investigations will be combined with existing analysis of the adjustment programmes with a view to improving them. Contact: Kris Martin, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/473 1767, fax +1-202/676 0576, e-mail , or Tony Avirgan, SAPRIN Secretariat, c/o D-GAP, Suite 400, 927 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/898 1566, fax +1-202/898 1612, e-mail . NGO PARTICIPATION IN UNHCR COMMITTEES A Standing Committee of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) met in June and agreed on arrangements for NGO observer participation in the committee as well as the UNHCR Executive Committee. The Standing Committee, established in October 1995 by the 46th session of the Executive Committee to meet quarterly on a one-year trial basis, was requested by the 47th session to, inter alia, carry out consultations on NGO observer participation in the work of the two committees. The 8th meeting of the Standing Committee, held in Geneva, agreed that NGOs registered at the Executive Committee plenary will be invited to Standing Committee meetings upon written request of the individual NGO, while mechanisms must be set up to ensure participation by NGOs from developing countries, notably through the Partnership in Action (PARinAC) Regional Focal Points; one NGO observer statement will be permitted per agenda item; documentation will be made available through NGO channels prior to meetings; and NGOs may submit written contributions but must make arrangements to produce and circulate the documents. The Executive Committee or its Standing Committee reserves the right to exceptionally declare any Standing Committee or agenda item closed to observers. The above arrangements will be introduced after the 48th session of the UNHCR Executive Committee in October and will be reviewed after a one-year trial period. During informal consultations held between January and May, government delegations highlighted the need to preserve the intergovernmental character of the Standing Committee, while recognizing the contributions and expertise that NGOs, as important partners, offer. During the consultations UNHCR said a number of Geneva-based NGOs, including umbrella organizations, ensured the widest possible consultation with NGOs involved in work with refugees worldwide. The NGOs proposed to set up an open-ended reference group, which would ensure, inter alia, NGO representation from developing countries and full consultation on statements. Contact: NGO Coordination Unit, UNHCR, case postale 2500, CH-1211 Geneva 2 DÇpìt, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/739 8187, fax +41-22/7397302, e-mail . RELIGIOUS GROUPS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS MEET On 9-10 June church leaders and heads of international financial institutions active in Latin America met at the Vatican to discuss policies and priorities for sustainable economic development in Latin America. Participants in the meeting, sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, included Michel Camdessus, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Bank President James Wolfensohn; and representatives of the Presidency of the Council of Latin American Episcopal Conferences (CELAM) and the US and German Catholic and Episcopal Conferences. Church leaders stressed the need to address increasing poverty and income distribution gaps that they say are undermining social cohesion in Latin America. They called for a social dimension to be incorporated in economic policymaking, and they expressed concern about Latin America s debt burden and the decreasing levels of social expenditures resulting from requirements to reduce budget deficits. Representatives of international financial institutions said Latin America has achieved much over the past decade in terms of economic stability and growth. And while poverty remains a problem, a large number of countries have made progress in reducing it. They emphasized the importance of appropriate macroeconomic policies to attract private capital to underpin investment and growth, especially in an era of declining official development assistance. The representatives outlined several elements essential for improving living standards in Latin America, including reduce state intervention in the economy and increase transparency of government operations to limit opportunities for corruption and enhance public accountability; create a simple, transparent regulatory system that is equitably enforced, encourages competition and eliminates unnecessary business costs; establish a reliable judicial system to give confidence to savers and investors; and reduce unproductive government expenditures to make room for more investment in basic infrastructure and in human capital. The IMF also held a half-day seminar in late July to explain to a group of religious leaders the principles of structural adjustment and elements that go into the design of a reform programme. The meeting was held at the request of the Washington-based Religious Working Group on the IMF and World Bank and as a follow-up to a suggestion made by the IMF s senior management in an earlier meeting on the evolution of IMF conditionality. The Religious Working Group, formed in 1994, is a coalition of more than 40 Protestant denominations, Catholic religious orders and agencies, national faith-based organizations, and social policy groups active on issues of global economic justice. Contact: Hernan Puentes, Assistant Director, External Relations Department, IMF, 700 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20431, United States, telephone +1-202/623 7062, fax +1-202/623 4661. HUMAN RIGHT TO PEACE On June 9 the Norwegian Institute of Human Rights organized, in cooperation with UNESCO, a meeting on the Human Right to Peace. The main objective of the meeting, held in Oslo, was to prepare a draft declaration on the Human Right to Peace. In its first article, the text proclaims that every human being has the right to peace, which is inherent in the dignity of the human person. It stresses that war, armed conflicts, violence and insecurity of persons are intrinsically incompatible with the human right to peace. Article 2 formulates the duty of every human being, states and other members of the international community to contribute to maintaining and constructing peace. Article 3 says a culture of peace must constitute the means of achieving global implementation of the human right to peace. In its final part, the draft declaration calls upon individuals, states, international organizations governmental and non-governmental and all social actors to promote and implement the human right to peace. Contact: J. Symonides, Director, Division for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 38 17, fax +33-1/45 68 57 26. POLICY FORUM ON GREENHOUSE GASES On 19-20 June over 50 senior policy makers and corporate executives from different regions of the world met in Chicago (United States) to inaugurate a Policy Forum on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading. The meeting, convened by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Earth Council, was chaired by Maurice Strong, chairman of the 1992 Earth Summit. The forum s purpose is to provide timely institutional support to interested governments, corporations and NGOs for development and implementation of the initial-phase of an international greenhouse gas emissions market. The target date for launching the emissions market is set for early in the year 2000. The forum is modeled on an approach that has been successful in the US as a cost-effective means of lowering acid rain. In the approach, a cap is established on emissions in line with environmental goals. Permits are then issued to companies to enable them to emit up to that capped level. Companies that succeed in holding their emissions below the legislated cap are able to sell the spare capacity allowed by their permits to other companies looking for cost-effective solutions. UNCTAD says using a similar approach to address greenhouse gas emissions globally could produce win-win outcomes for interested parties: faster improvements in the global environment; active and self-interested involvement of the private sector; and the transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies and finance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Some NGOs are critical of this approach and argue that it gives licence to pollute. The forum is expected to meet in November in Toronto (Canada) to agree on steps needed to establish the emissions trading system. Contact: Frank Joshua, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, telephone +41-22/917 5834, fax +41-22/907 0274, e-mail . YOUTH SPEAK OUT It s my life, my body, my choice. These are the words of a 14-year old from New Zealand whose thoughts on sexual and reproductive health are among the views expressed by more than 600 young people in 54 countries in Generation 97. The booklet, published by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), was released on World Population Day (11 July). It provides a worldwide snapshot of young people s thoughts on issues including love and relationships, early marriages, contraception, pregnancy, parenthood and abortion. Nafis Sadik, UNFPA Executive Director, said the booklet provides a valuable tool in working with young people and demonstrates that they want and need appropriate information to make the right choices about their sexual and reproductive health. The facts are indisputable, she said. Teenage sexual activity is increasing in many countries. Half of all the new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, occur in young people between 15 and 24 years of age that is 167 million cases a year, or more than five every second. Teenage mothers are two to four times as likely to die during childbirth as women in their 20s. Early marriage and childbearing impede women s education and employment opportunities. In Generation 97 young people have clearly indicated that they need answers in order to protect their sexual and reproductive health. Contact: Alex Marshall, UNFPA, 220 E. 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/297 5020, fax +1-212/557 6416, e-mail . UNDP AND ICSW TO COLLABORATE The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) signed a memorandum of understanding in July in order to increase their interaction and collaboration. ICSW is a global NGO that represents national and local organizations. Its members come from about 80 mostly developing countries. Priority areas of the agreement include promotion and discussion of the annual Human Development Report and other UNDP publications, especially at the national level and among civil society organizations (CSOs); organization of a series of regional, sub-regional and national seminars and workshops for CSOs to discuss and formulate proposals for implementing WSSD agreements; strengthening involvement by ICSW members and other CSOs, especially from developing countries, in intergovernmental meetings relative to poverty eradication and the WSSD; and development of information and proposals for consideration in the review of implementation of the summit, to be conducted by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 2000. Contact: Michelle Greuter, ICSW, 10 chemin Charles Borgeaud, CH-1213 Geneva, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/793 0270, fax +41-22/792 5679. WORKSHOP ON FUTURE OF LARGE DAMS In April the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and World Bank co-hosted an international workshop on the Future of Large Dams: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future. The workshop, attended by 40 representatives of government, NGOs, the private sector and academic and affected communities, concluded with a unanimous mandate for IUCN and the bank to facilitate the establishment of an international commission of experts on large dams. The commission, to be established by November, will be composed of five to eight expert members to lead the process and prepare a report and recommendations within two years of being established. A secretariat to support the commission will also be established. Workshop participants agreed on the following key issues to guide the commission: assess experiences of existing, new and proposed large dam projects to improve practices and social and environmental conditions; develop decision making criteria and policy and regulatory frameworks to assess alternatives for energy and water resources development; evaluate the development effectiveness of all large dams; and develop and promote internationally acceptable standards for planning, assessment, design, construction and operation and monitoring of large dam projects. Contact: Achim Steiner, Senior Policy Advisor, IUCN/US Office, 1400 16th Street, Suite 502, Washington DC 20036, United States, telephone +1-202/797 5454, fax +1-202/797 5461, e-mail . SAPRI INITIATIVE LAUNCHED An unprecedented joint exercise to review structural adjustment programmes was launched on 14 July by the World Bank, several member countries and a coalition of over 500 NGOs. The Structural Adjustment Participatory Review Initiative (SAPRI) will involve an assessment of structural adjustment programmes through a series of national public fora and participatory field investigations (see Go Between 61). The initiative is expected to take 12-18 months and will be carried out in up to ten countries. Countries selected for review to date are: Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ghana, Hungary, Mali, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The coalition of NGOs is being coordinated by an international steering committee headed by Doug Hellinger of Development Group for Alternative Policies, an NGO based in Washington DC. Under the initiative, a national steering committee comprising local NGOs, the government and the World Bank will be set up in each country to examine the effects of World Bank policies on all social groups. Special emphasis will be given to understanding the impact of the bank s policies on those who have not benefited and those who have not participated in the policymaking process. The results of the investigations will be combined with existing analysis of the adjustment programmes with a view to improving them. Contact: Kris Martin, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/473 1767, fax +1-202/676 0576, e-mail , or Tony Avirgan, SAPRIN Secretariat, c/o D-GAP, Suite 400, 927 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/898 1566, fax +1-202/898 1612, e-mail . NGO PARTICIPATION IN UNHCR COMMITTEES A Standing Committee of the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) met in June and agreed on arrangements for NGO observer participation in the committee as well as the UNHCR Executive Committee. The Standing Committee, established in October 1995 by the 46th session of the Executive Committee to meet quarterly on a one-year trial basis, was requested by the 47th session to, inter alia, carry out consultations on NGO observer participation in the work of the two committees. The 8th meeting of the Standing Committee, held in Geneva, agreed that NGOs registered at the Executive Committee plenary will be invited to Standing Committee meetings upon written request of the individual NGO, while mechanisms must be set up to ensure participation by NGOs from developing countries, notably through the Partnership in Action (PARinAC) Regional Focal Points; one NGO observer statement will be permitted per agenda item; documentation will be made available through NGO channels prior to meetings; and NGOs may submit written contributions but must make arrangements to produce and circulate the documents. The Executive Committee or its Standing Committee reserves the right to exceptionally declare any Standing Committee or agenda item closed to observers. The above arrangements will be introduced after the 48th session of the UNHCR Executive Committee in October and will be reviewed after a one-year trial period. During informal consultations held between January and May, government delegations highlighted the need to preserve the intergovernmental character of the Standing Committee, while recognizing the contributions and expertise that NGOs, as important partners, offer. During the consultations UNHCR said a number of Geneva-based NGOs, including umbrella organizations, ensured the widest possible consultation with NGOs involved in work with refugees worldwide. The NGOs proposed to set up an open-ended reference group, which would ensure, inter alia, NGO representation from developing countries and full consultation on statements. Contact: NGO Coordination Unit, UNHCR, case postale 2500, CH-1211 Geneva 2 DÇpìt, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/739 8187, fax +41-22/7397302, e-mail . RELIGIOUS GROUPS AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS MEET On 9-10 June church leaders and heads of international financial institutions active in Latin America met at the Vatican to discuss policies and priorities for sustainable economic development in Latin America. Participants in the meeting, sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, included Michel Camdessus, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Bank President James Wolfensohn; and representatives of the Presidency of the Council of Latin American Episcopal Conferences (CELAM) and the US and German Catholic and Episcopal Conferences. Church leaders stressed the need to address increasing poverty and income distribution gaps that they say are undermining social cohesion in Latin America. They called for a social dimension to be incorporated in economic policymaking, and they expressed concern about Latin America s debt burden and the decreasing levels of social expenditures resulting from requirements to reduce budget deficits. Representatives of international financial institutions said Latin America has achieved much over the past decade in terms of economic stability and growth. And while poverty remains a problem, a large number of countries have made progress in reducing it. They emphasized the importance of appropriate macroeconomic policies to attract private capital to underpin investment and growth, especially in an era of declining official development assistance. The representatives outlined several elements essential for improving living standards in Latin America, including reduce state intervention in the economy and increase transparency of government operations to limit opportunities for corruption and enhance public accountability; create a simple, transparent regulatory system that is equitably enforced, encourages competition and eliminates unnecessary business costs; establish a reliable judicial system to give confidence to savers and investors; and reduce unproductive government expenditures to make room for more investment in basic infrastructure and in human capital. The IMF also held a half-day seminar in late July to explain to a group of religious leaders the principles of structural adjustment and elements that go into the design of a reform programme. The meeting was held at the request of the Washington-based Religious Working Group on the IMF and World Bank and as a follow-up to a suggestion made by the IMF s senior management in an earlier meeting on the evolution of IMF conditionality. The Religious Working Group, formed in 1994, is a coalition of more than 40 Protestant denominations, Catholic religious orders and agencies, national faith-based organizations, and social policy groups active on issues of global economic justice. Contact: Hernan Puentes, Assistant Director, External Relations Department, IMF, 700 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20431, United States, telephone +1-202/623 7062, fax +1-202/623 4661. HUMAN RIGHT TO PEACE On June 9 the Norwegian Institute of Human Rights organized, in cooperation with UNESCO, a meeting on the Human Right to Peace. The main objective of the meeting, held in Oslo, was to prepare a draft declaration on the Human Right to Peace. In its first article, the text proclaims that every human being has the right to peace, which is inherent in the dignity of the human person. It stresses that war, armed conflicts, violence and insecurity of persons are intrinsically incompatible with the human right to peace. Article 2 formulates the duty of every human being, states and other members of the international community to contribute to maintaining and constructing peace. Article 3 says a culture of peace must constitute the means of achieving global implementation of the human right to peace. In its final part, the draft declaration calls upon individuals, states, international organizations governmental and non-governmental and all social actors to promote and implement the human right to peace. Contact: J. Symonides, Director, Division for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 38 17, fax +33-1/45 68 57 26. POLICY FORUM ON GREENHOUSE GASES On 19-20 June over 50 senior policy makers and corporate executives from different regions of the world met in Chicago (United States) to inaugurate a Policy Forum on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading. The meeting, convened by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Earth Council, was chaired by Maurice Strong, chairman of the 1992 Earth Summit. The forum s purpose is to provide timely institutional support to interested governments, corporations and NGOs for development and implementation of the initial-phase of an international greenhouse gas emissions market. The target date for launching the emissions market is set for early in the year 2000. The forum is modeled on an approach that has been successful in the US as a cost-effective means of lowering acid rain. In the approach, a cap is established on emissions in line with environmental goals. Permits are then issued to companies to enable them to emit up to that capped level. Companies that succeed in holding their emissions below the legislated cap are able to sell the spare capacity allowed by their permits to other companies looking for cost-effective solutions. UNCTAD says using a similar approach to address greenhouse gas emissions globally could produce win-win outcomes for interested parties: faster improvements in the global environment; active and self-interested involvement of the private sector; and the transfer of environmentally-friendly technologies and finance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition. Some NGOs are critical of this approach and argue that it gives licence to pollute. The forum is expected to meet in November in Toronto (Canada) to agree on steps needed to establish the emissions trading system. Contact: Frank Joshua, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, telephone +41-22/917 5834, fax +41-22/907 0274, e-mail . YOUTH SPEAK OUT It s my life, my body, my choice. These are the words of a 14-year old from New Zealand whose thoughts on sexual and reproductive health are among the views expressed by more than 600 young people in 54 countries in Generation 97. The booklet, published by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), was released on World Population Day (11 July). It provides a worldwide snapshot of young people s thoughts on issues including love and relationships, early marriages, contraception, pregnancy, parenthood and abortion. Nafis Sadik, UNFPA Executive Director, said the booklet provides a valuable tool in working with young people and demonstrates that they want and need appropriate information to make the right choices about their sexual and reproductive health. The facts are indisputable, she said. Teenage sexual activity is increasing in many countries. Half of all the new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV, occur in young people between 15 and 24 years of age that is 167 million cases a year, or more than five every second. Teenage mothers are two to four times as likely to die during childbirth as women in their 20s. Early marriage and childbearing impede women s education and employment opportunities. In Generation 97 young people have clearly indicated that they need answers in order to protect their sexual and reproductive health. Contact: Alex Marshall, UNFPA, 220 E. 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/297 5020, fax +1-212/557 6416, e-mail . UNDP AND ICSW TO COLLABORATE The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) signed a memorandum of understanding in July in order to increase their interaction and collaboration. ICSW is a global NGO that represents national and local organizations. Its members come from about 80 mostly developing countries. Priority areas of the agreement include promotion and discussion of the annual Human Development Report and other UNDP publications, especially at the national level and among civil society organizations (CSOs); organization of a series of regional, sub-regional and national seminars and workshops for CSOs to discuss and formulate proposals for implementing WSSD agreements; strengthening involvement by ICSW members and other CSOs, especially from developing countries, in intergovernmental meetings relative to poverty eradication and the WSSD; and development of information and proposals for consideration in the review of implementation of the summit, to be conducted by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 2000. Contact: Michelle Greuter, ICSW, 10 chemin Charles Borgeaud, CH-1213 Geneva, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/793 0270, fax +41-22/792 5679. WORKSHOP ON FUTURE OF LARGE DAMS In April the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and World Bank co-hosted an international workshop on the Future of Large Dams: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future. The workshop, attended by 40 representatives of government, NGOs, the private sector and academic and affected communities, concluded with a unanimous mandate for IUCN and the bank to facilitate the establishment of an international commission of experts on large dams. The commission, to be established by November, will be composed of five to eight expert members to lead the process and prepare a report and recommendations within two years of being established. A secretariat to support the commission will also be established. Workshop participants agreed on the following key issues to guide the commission: assess experiences of existing, new and proposed large dam projects to improve practices and social and environmental conditions; develop decision making criteria and policy and regulatory frameworks to assess alternatives for energy and water resources development; evaluate the development effectiveness of all large dams; and develop and promote internationally acceptable standards for planning, assessment, design, construction and operation and monitoring of large dam projects. Contact: Achim Steiner, Senior Policy Advisor, IUCN/US Office, 1400 16th Street, Suite 502, Washington DC 20036, United States, telephone +1-202/797 5454, fax +1-202/797 5461, e-mail . NGO NEWS DECLARATION ON LOCAL AGENDA 21 Over 900 delegates from local authorities of 40 countries gathered from 1-5 June in Newcastle (Australia) to address the need for local governments to develop and implement local Agenda 21 programmes. Agenda 21 is the document of commitments by governments made at the 1992 Earth Summit. The meeting on Pathways to Sustainability produced a declaration that calls on the developed world to drastically reduce our per capita impacts in the short term if we are to achieve global sustainability in the long term. It highlights the importance of addressing the negative impacts of globalization and free trade on local communities; calls upon local governments worldwide to put in place local Agenda 21 action plans by the year 2000; urges them to conduct an annual review of progress on fulfilling Agenda 21 at the local level; and to report the results to the United Nations in the year 2002, which is the tenth anniversary of the Earth Summit. The declaration declares the commitment of local governments and communities represented at the meeting to ensure the active participation and partnership of all sectors, groups and citizens of local communities in the development of local Agenda 21 action plans. It also stresses the value of diversity within local communities and says local processes should celebrate that diversity by respecting and learning from minority voices and the aspirations of different cultural groups. The meeting called upon the UN and national governments to provide a policy framework and the necessary resources to support national Local Agenda 21 programmes, including national and international investment and development assistance programmes and related measures. Contact: Mike Mouritz, Conference Programme Coordinator, Pathways to Sustainability, Newcastle City Council, PO Box 489, Newcastle NSW 2300, Australia, telephone +61-49/299172, fax +61-49/252508, e-mail . WORLD SEED PROGRAM The New Forests Project (NFP), based in the United States, is offering nitrogen-fixing tree seeds, technical information and training materials free of charge to groups worldwide. The project s World Seed Program will provide groups that are establishing reforestation projects with fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing tree seeds such as mesquite, yellow cassia, East Indian walnut, yette, and honey locust. With proper management the trees can sustainably produce fuelwood, animal forage, organic fertilizer and building materials, while regenerating degraded soils. Interested groups should send an environmental description of their area to the project, along with details on the area s elevation, average annual rainfall, length of rainy and dry seasons, high and low temperatures, soil characteristics, and how the trees will be used. In recent years, NFP has been working with local NGOs in developing countries to initiate reforestation projects and training programmes that promote agroforestry, sustainable resource management and environmental conservation. Contact: Felicia Ruiz, Coordinator, World Seed Program, The New Forests Project, 731 8th St. SE, Washington DC 20003, United States, telephone +1-202/547 3800, fax +1-202/546 4784. REGIONAL NEWS AID AND OTHER FINANCIAL FLOWS IN 1996 Figures released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in June show aid flows to developing countries fell in 1996, while private flows to some developing countries continued to rise. The OECD says total net financial flows from members of its Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to developing countries exceeded US$300 billion for the first time. This rise was entirely due to private flows, estimated to have grown in 1996 by almost US$80 billion to US$234 billion. Overall flows of official development assistance (ODA) from DAC members to developing countries and multilateral organizations totalled US$55.1 billion, which continues the declining trend of recent years. ODA flows in 1996 represented only 0.25% of DAC members combined GNP, a record low against that measure of development assistance effort. Aid levels rose in 1996 in real terms in ten of the 21 DAC member countries, so that the average level of effort of individual DAC member countries fell only marginally from 0.41% to 0.40%. Two trends emerge, said the committee. One is the increasing diversity in the financing situations of developing countries, to the point where global flow statistics must now be broken down to reflect the different financing mixes that prevail. The second trend is that of a growing volatility in the year-to-year aid disbursements of many donors. The continuing decline in overall ODA is a matter of concern, especially in relation to large programmes such as those of Japan and the US. The total of US$55.1 billion in net ODA in 1996 reported by DAC members represents a decline of 4% in real terms from the 1995 total of US$58.9 billion. In 1995, total DAC members ODA represented 0.27% of their combined GNP. In 1996 the preliminary ODA/GNP ratio is the lowest recorded over the nearly 30 years since the United Nations established a goal of 0.70%. Four countries Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden surpassed the United Nations target in 1996. UNHCR CONDEMNS VIOLENCE IN GREAT LAKES REGION On 25 August United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata condemned an attack that killed 148 people in a camp in Rwanda the week before. High Commissioner Ogata said she was shocked and outraged by the attack in Mudende Camp in Gisenyi province. At least 131 Congolese refugees and 17 others, including some of the attackers, were killed and another 80 were wounded in the assault, the worst against a refugee camp in Rwanda. Rwandan officials said Hutu rebels were responsible for the attack on Mudende. The camp holds more than 8000 Tutsi refugees who escaped ethnic clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past several years. I am extremely sad that these refugees who fled from violence and persecution and were generously received on Rwandan soil have now fallen victim to such an act of barbarism in their country of refuge, said Ms. Ogata. This latest atrocity again demonstrates the need to end the spiral of violence which continues to plague parts of the region. She has been holding consultations with the Organization of African Unity to try to establish how to tackle the deepening refugee crises in the Great Lakes region. MEETING IN BELGIUM ON LANDMINES Over 90 governments committed to the Ottawa process when they met in late June in Brussels and pledged to negotiate an international treaty banning landmines in Oslo (Norway) in September, with the intention of signing it in Canada in December. The International Conference for a Global Ban on Landmines was attended by over 150 governments and about 140 NGO representatives from 40 countries, including landmine survivors, mine clearance experts and humanitarian care providers. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) said it is encouraged by the advance in political support for the December treaty. However, it warned of increasing pressures to weaken the draft treaty. Our main objective is to have a true ban treaty, without exceptions, reservations or loopholes, said Jody Williams of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) and coordinator of the international campaign. In August, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the announcement that the United States will participate in the Ottawa process negotiations. Mr. Annan said he hoped the Oslo conference will succeed in concluding a truly comprehensive ban, which will come to the UN General Assembly for endorsement in its coming session. Contact: US Campaign to Ban Landmines, care of VVAF, 2001 S. Street NW, Suite 740, Washington DC 20009, United States, telephone +1-202/483 9222, fax +1-202/483 9312, web site (http://www.vvaf.org). SOMALIA FOOD OPERATION SUCCESSFUL The last truckloads of relief food from a major food emergency operation were distributed on 29 July in Somalia, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The distribution of 335 tons of food in the Hiran region concluded WFP s goal of distributing 3900 tons of food packages over two months to 300,000 vulnerable people in 78 locations in the Bay, Bakool, Hiran, Lower Juba, Middle Juba and Lower Shabelle regions. Two years of decreasing cereal production in Somalia, combined with insecurity and unemployment, has resulted in scarce local food supplies. Failed rains at the end of 1996 caused record-low production levels, and there was an almost total failure of the sorghum harvest in some areas. An atmosphere of insecurity prevails as clan factions continue to battle for control of regions where food distribution took place. We weren t sure how successful we would be in delivering such a large quantity of relief food into areas plagued by war and banditry, said Burk Oberle, WFP s Country Director for Somalia. But we had to try. Bullets, landmines and hard-to-get security clearances weren t our only obstacles. Washed-out roads and the monsoon season made getting food shipments into the small sea-side ports and then beyond an even tougher job. WFP says urgent appeals made to donors for food and transport costs for the emergency food operation were quickly and sufficiently met. The United States aid agency, USAID, provided a substantial quantity of food and cash for transport, and a contribution by the Italian government enabled WFP to sustain its relief and rehabilitation operations in Somalia. Contact: Brenda Barton, WFP Kenya, PO Box 44482, Gigiri Compound, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/622594, fax +254-2/521175. ASIA-AFRICA FORUM CONCLUDES The Second Asia-Africa Forum ended on 13 June with a strong message for leaders of the developed world to continue helping in Africa s economic and social recovery. Senior officials from 44 African countries and 11 Asian countries urged the international community to continue its development assistance to Africa and to encourage investment and expand trade in the region. The forum focused on capacity-building including institutional, political and economic aspects; sustainable agricultural development and food security; and private sector development. Participants said some tangible progress has been made in good governance and sustainable development in a number of African countries that are assuming ownership of their development and making determined efforts in political, economic and social reforms. The forum s Bangkok Statement for Furthering Asia-Africa Cooperation urged African countries to intensify the pace of structural transformation of their economies, in order to enhance mutually beneficial relationships with Asian countries. It noted that trade and investment between Asia and Africa, although relatively low, has been rising steadily in recent years. South-East Asia has become a major source of foreign direct investment in Africa, and several Asian countries are now in a position to provide official development assistance, according to participants. They added that they are encouraged by examples of triangular cooperation involving donor and developing countries and called for such cooperation to be expanded. I firmly believe that countries of Asia stand ready to be a partner in African development, said Pitak Intrawityanunt, Deputy Foreign Minister of Thailand. The areas of capacity building, agriculture and food, and private sector development provide some real possibilities for cooperation. He suggested a pilot project to symbolize Asia-Africa cooperation, such as establishing an Asia-Africa technical and human resource centre in Africa. The forum was jointly organized by, among others, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries, and the Global Coalition for Africa. Contact: Markha D. Sarr, Special Coordinator for Africa and Least Developed Countries, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 5084, fax +1-212/963 3892. FOCUS FOOD AID DELIVERIES IN 1996 DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY, SAYS WFP The World Food Programme (WFP) says global food aid deliveries in 1996 amounted to 7.5 million tons, which is 24% less than in 1995 and far below the 1993 record level of 16.8 million tons. Go Between summarizes a special survey of the WFP Food Aid Monitor, which describes the reductions, as well as priority country groups, regional perspectives and food aid channels. WFP says food aid deliveries to low-income food deficit countries (LIFDCs) and least developed countries (LDCs) decreased significantly in 1996 compared with the previous year. Deliveries to LIFDCs amounted to 5.8 million tons, 23% less than in 1995 and 42% less than in 1994. The least developed countries received 3.5 million tons, which is 15% less than in 1995 and 28% less than in 1994. Donor assistance budgets are decreasing for several reasons, said George- AndrÇ Simon, Head of WFP s International Food Aid Information System. As a consequence, total level of food aid provided to recipient countries has been dramatically reduced during the last three years. Worldwide stocks of cereals have recently reached fairly low levels; and as a consequence of the Uruguay Round negotiations, commitments have been made by member states to progressively reduce export subsidy programmes. Finally, it is increasingly felt that transfer of food from surplus to deficit areas or countries may also be done through markets by private operators. All geographic regions were affected by the reduction, says the report. In 1996 food aid supplies to sub-Saharan Africa decreased for the fourth consecutive year and amounted to about 2.5 million tons, the lowest level since 1983. And deliveries to Europe and the newly-independent states of the former USSR dropped by almost 50% compared with 1995. All food aid categories programme, relief and project food aid dropped in 1996: programme food aid fell from 4.0 million tons to 2.9 million tons; relief food aid declined from 3.4 million tons to 2.6 million tons; and project food aid decreased from 2.4 million tons to 1.9 million tons. Targeted food aid, which consists of both relief and project categories, still represented 60% of global deliveries. Although food aid provided through bilateral, multilateral and NGO channels declined, the share of multilateral deliveries increased to 35%, with the World Food Programme channelling 98% of these deliveries. Food Aid Categories In 1996, food aid deliveries consisted of 6.6 million tons of cereals and 0.9 million tons of other food commodities. Programme food aid accounted for 40% of global deliveries, relief assistance for 35%, and project food aid made up the remaining 25%. For the third consecutive year, programme food aid made up less than half the global deliveries, which confirms an important shift away from untargeted food aid interventions. The continuous decline in programme food aid resulted in 60% of total deliveries being provided to targeted vulnerable people through relief operations on development projects. Unlike food aid supplied to support project or relief interventions, programme food aid does not target specific beneficiary groups. It is mainly provided on a bilateral basis to support recipient governments budgets, or to reduce balance of payments deficits. Relief food aid is targeted to victims of natural or human-made disasters. Project food aid is provided to selected beneficiary groups to support specific development objectives. Both relief and project food aid are always provided to recipient countries on a grant basis, while programme food aid is also provided under concessional terms. Priority Country Groups As food aid becomes a scarce resource, says the report, there is increasing consensus within the donor community on the need to focus on countries that need it most and which are classified as LIFDCs and LDCs. However, this concern is not yet reflected in actual deliveries to the low-income food deficit countries. Regional Perspectives Sub-Saharan Africa remained the main recipient region for food aid deliveries in 1996, although deliveries dropped by 21% compared with the previous year and were almost 60% lower than the 1992 record level of six million tons. Deliveries to North Africa and the Middle East amounted to 730,000 tons in 1996, which is about 3% below the 1995 level. Deliveries to the region accounted for almost 10% of global deliveries. Newly-independent states of the former USSR and Eastern European countries received 1.4 million tons in 1996, which is 47% less than in 1995. Deliveries to the region represented 19% of global deliveries. Deliveries of food aid to the South and East Asia region amounted to two million tons, which represents a decrease of 10% compared with 1995. Supplies to the region accounted for 27% of global deliveries. The Latin America and Caribbean region received 0.7 million tons of food aid in 1996, which is 17% less than the amount delivered in 1995. Deliveries to the region have been decreasing in recent years; in 1996, they represented 10% of global deliveries, compared with 17% in the late 1980s. Food Aid Channels and Donors In volume terms the quantities delivered through three channels, bilateral, multilateral and NGOs, decreased drastically compared with the previous year. In 1996, food aid delivered through bilateral and multilateral channels amounted to 3.4 million tons and 2.7 million tons, respectively. Food aid channelled through NGOs totalled 1.4 million tons, excluding quantities distributed by NGOs, which were channelled multilaterally (about 98% of multilateral food aid was channelled through the World Food Programme). As a proportion of global deliveries, multilateral deliveries increased to 35%, most of which were supplied by WFP. Bilateral and non-governmental channels accounted for 47% and 18% respectively. In 1996, 44% of global deliveries were financed by the United States, 35% by the European Union and its Commission, 6% by Japan, 5% by Canada, 3% by Australia, 0.6% by Switzerland and 0.6% by Norway; the remaining deliveries were financed by other donors. Contact: George-AndrÇ Simon, Head, International Food Aid Information System (INTERFAIS), WFP, Via Cristoforo Colombo 426, I-00145 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5228 2796, fax +39-6/5228 2451, e-mail . INTERNATIONAL WELFARE BURDEN SHIFTS TO NON-PROFIT GROUPS The World Disasters Report 1997, which surveys humanitarian trends, says NGOs have moved from being the gap-fillers to the major forces for welfare provision to the most vulnerable people. The report, published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, also says information technology will play a vital role in relief work in the future. The report includes sections on methodologies and managing crisis information; the latest trends in aid and specific challenges around the world in 1997; a disasters database on hunger, population movements, disaster types, conflict and aid; an update on the Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct; and a discussion of key humanitarian issues in a time of change, such as the dilemmas faced by the military in humanitarian emergencies and the role of aid agencies. Welfare Burden Shifts As governments reduce their welfare and foreign aid budgets, the report says independent agencies are shouldering an ever-increasing burden of welfare provision to the most vulnerable populations, especially in developing nations. Non-governmental organizations have changed from being the gap fillers of the 1970s to major forces for welfare provision in the 1990s, says the report. In a market-driven world, many governments are disengaging from poorer countries where they see little political or trade interests. Retreating governments...are leaving more for others to do, including international welfare. As governments continue to delegate welfare provision to non-governmental groups, the latter are confronted by difficult issues about their independence, and whether they are covering up government failure, doing too much on the cheap, or doing more harm than good. This raises the question: To whom are non-governmental groups accountable? Although the traditional answer is that NGOs are solely accountable to donor governments and other organizations providing funds, the report says that from now on NGOs must realize that they will also be held accountable by the victims of disasters. For this reason, better and more transparent accountability is a condition for better-quality aid. Information Technology Vital Aid agencies will also have to rethink their traditional role as providers of person-to-person aid and become relief information brokers. Information in disaster relief, says the report, is a primary tool and an essential resource. It translates into supplies, logistics and agency cooperation. Speed, accuracy and completeness of data can help save lives. Humanitarian agencies will increasingly be judged on the quality of the information they produce, although the report notes that few of them have so far developed the infrastructure for effective information management. Vast amounts of information, it says, enter and leave organizations without anyone being fully aware of their impact, value or cost. The plunging cost and soaring scope of computer hardware, information software and telecommunications offers humanitarian workers the chance of taking direct control of all aspects of crisis management. However, disaster management information on logistical issues, resources and specific relief action is only slowly becoming available in dynamic systems. For example, as the Rwanda crisis unfolded in 1994, humanitarian organizations were desperately seeking French-speaking aid specialists to set up operations. Had up-to-date information sources been available, this search would have been much simpler. For this reason, the report says so-called smart aid is essential for the future of humanitarian agencies. Instead of focusing only on hauling beans and medical supplies to faraway places, they will have to become smart agencies which provide added value by being data clearing houses collecting, analyzing, storing and communicating facts and figures. [The agencies] will turn the facts on the ground into advocacy in the capitals of the world. Under such a set-up, global knowledge agencies will leave the specifics of managing people and supplies to partner organizations on the ground. In the long term, said Peter Walker, Director of Disaster Policy at the International Federation, information and communications technology have to be used strategically. There is a necessity for a clear shift of decision making to the South, into the hands of indigenous disaster professionals and vulnerable communities. Such communities are closer to their own disasters and in the best position given the right information tools to understand, prepare for, relieve, and perhaps even prevent catastrophes. Role of the Military Action is humanitarian if controlled by the principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence; therefore, says the report, the military cannot qualify as humanitarian. On the other hand, military operations can stop the killing, control violence, secure corridors and police ceasefire agreements. Neutral humanitarian activity can do none of these things, but even with limited resources it can reach and mitigate human suffering in inaccessible places and during conflicts. Despite the resources, discipline and can-do mentality of many professional armies, the report says experiences in Somalia and Bosnia suggest that linkages between military and humanitarian action are fraught with difficulties. In Bosnia, when NATO air strikes began, peacekeepers and humanitarian workers were taken hostage or killed, and local hostility aroused by US military operations in Mogadishu in 1994 endangered the activities of humanitarian agencies working closely with UN forces operating in Somalia at the time. The report concludes that if relief agencies are perceived as apolitical and non-threatening by parties to a conflict, they are more likely to gain admission to regions and peoples that would be closed to politically-sponsored organizations such as the armed forces. But it adds that forceful action to relieve human suffering should not be ruled out, as long as military forces and humanitarian agencies recognize their unique roles in their respective areas. Contact: For more information, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, PO Box 372, CH-1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/730 4222, fax +41-22/733 0395, e-mail , web site (http://www.ifrc.org). For a copy of the report: CWO Department, Oxford University Press, Saxon Way West, Corby Northants NN18 9ES, UK, fax +44-1536/746337. GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE 97 CONFERENCE 22-25 JUNE, TORONTO The Global Knowledge 97 Conference, hosted by the World Bank and Canada, brought together almost 2000 people from over 120 countries. Discussions focused on three themes: understanding the role of knowledge and information in economic and social development; sharing strategies for harnessing knowledge; and building partnerships to empower the poor and foster international dialogues about development. Participants included representatives of governments, academia, science and technology, business, the media, multilateral institutions and NGOs. One-half of all participants were from developing countries, and more than 150 were from NGOs, with many identified through cooperation between NGLS and regional NGO networks. Opening Plenary Plenary meetings set the framework for discussions and helped define the main challenges of the information revolution in sustainable development. At the opening session, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed that development, peace and democracy are no longer the exclusive responsibility of governments, global organizations or intergovernmental bodies. Instead, information and its democratizing powers provide the opportunity to effect change and alleviate poverty in ways previously unimaginable. Knowledge is power, he said. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress....The information revolution is unthinkable without democracy and true democracy is unimaginable without freedom of information. World Bank President James Wolfensohn called on participants to unite in a partnership to grasp new technologies and to help bridge the gap between the rich and poor. We should measure results, he said, not in terms of technological achievements but by the impact of knowledge made more accessible by such technology in the fight against poverty. Working Sessions Over 100 working sessions at the conference were clustered around main issues: Empowering the Poor with Information and Knowledge; Role of the State; Infrastructure and Capacity Building; Fostering Science and Technology in Developing Countries; Knowledge Flows, Civic Dialogue and the Informed Citizen; Distance Education and Technology for Learning; and Partnerships. Africa During the working sessions participants agreed that Africa faces monumental challenges in its attempts to get into the first lane of the information highway: while there are on average 3.6 telephone lines per 100 people in other developing regions, there are only 0.5 lines per 100 people in Africa. And access to computers and the Internet still remains the preserve of the continent s elite. One major factor accounting for low per capita access to informatics in Africa is continued state monopolization of telecommunication systems, according to Jean-Louis Sarbib, World Bank Vice President responsible for Africa. However, he predicted that most African governments will open up telecommunication sectors to private sector participation, which should help push down high telecommunications costs. Several speakers during the sessions predicted that within the next 30 years Africa will leapfrog East Asian fashion into an economic dynamo and take a claim as an equal partner in the knowledge society. Women Speakers at sessions focusing on gender issues in the information age highlighted the importance of better access to information technologies for women. Shirley Malcom, Director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, stressed getting knowledge to women as well as from them, since she said they are an important source of local traditional knowledge, especially in the areas of agriculture, environmental resources management and health. Kathryn White, President of the Canadian Committee for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) outlined three principles she said are essential to sound planning for information and communications technology development and design: the impact of the technology on development must consider the needs of men and women; design of the systems must ensure that men and women are equitably involved in every facet of information technology development; and evaluations of its development must take into account the distinct situations and resources of women and men. Others highlighted the primacy of economy problems and information needs; the demand for new skills arising from information and communications technology development; and the different impacts of it on different types of women. NGOs NGO representatives attending the conference were enthusiastic about using new information technology in their work, although they said traditional means of communicating, such as radio, are excellent ways to reach people without access to the technologies, or who cannot read or write. Some NGOs are debating whether they should take the huge leap into technology, when their already-scare resources are stretched for pressing priorities such as building a school or a well. Others said today s information technology expresses Western values and destroys native cultural ones. Many called for more scrutiny of the problems of the poor who are living without the most basic technologies. Interactive Global Links Interactive global links with the conference included live linkups with groups on several continents. The links, which began before the conference with a series of Internet-based consultations and regional network building, will continue. The virtual part of the conference (addresses below) includes: a Global Knowledge for Development Internet list discussion sponsored by the UN Development Programme; Village Well, hosted by the Canadian International Development Agency; and the Global Knowledge 97 Virtual Conferencing Project, sponsored by the Association for Progressive Communications. The conference also featured a Knowledge and Technology Forum trade show for demonstrating products and services and a Film and Video Showcase centre, which contained 50 videos on knowledge and the information revolution. Contact: World Bank Economic Development Institute, 1818 H Street NW, M7-075, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/473 6442, fax +1-202/676 0858, e-mail . Global Knowledge for Development Internet list discussion: information available on the Global Knowledge 97 web site www.globalknowledge.org Village Well: www.villagewell.gk97.gc.ca Virtual Conferencing Project: http://community.web.net/gk97/ WORLD BANK SAYS EFFECTIVE STATES HELP PEOPLE AND MARKETS FLOURISH At a time when many countries are debating whether the state should be at the centre of national life, a new report from the World Bank says an effective state is the cornerstone of successful economies, and without it economic and social development is impossible. Go Between summarizes the findings of the World Development Report 1997: The State in a Changing World. Countries that have concluded the state s role should be less prominent should consider how the dazzling growth of East Asia, and even the industrial revolution, were made possible by an effective state, says the report. It defines such a state as one that harnesses the energy of private business and individuals and acts as their partner and catalyst, instead of restricting their partnership. The issue of the role of government is high on the agenda in developing and industrial countries alike, and for many, the lesson of recent years has been that the state could not deliver on its promise, said World Bank Group President James Wolfensohn. Many have felt that the logical endpoint of all this was a minimalist state. Such a state would do no harm, but neither could it do much good. The report explains why this extreme view is at odds with the evidence of the world s development success stories. Focus on the Basics The report concludes that an effective state one which lets markets flourish and people lead healthier, happier lives needs to focus on the basics of what it does best and reinvigorate public institutions. Although there is no single recipe for building such a state, the World Bank offers a two-part strategy to guide countries in this process. First, the state s role should be matched to its capability. Many states try to do too much with too little, and often end up doing more harm than good. Therefore, getting governments to focus sharply on those core public tasks, which markets and voluntary groups do not provide, will greatly enhance the state s effectiveness. The second goal should be to improve the state s capabilities by reinvigorating public institutions with effective rules that give public officials the incentive to do their jobs better, while checking arbitrary state actions and combating entrenched corruption. Although the importance of these fundamentals has been widely accepted, we re getting new insights as to the right mix of market and government activities in achieving them, said Joseph Stiglitz, Chief Economist at the bank. Most important, we now see that markets and governments are complementary: the state is essential for putting in place the appropriate institutional foundations for markets. The State s Role and Institutional Capabilities The report says several key tasks lie at the core of every government s mission. They are: n establishing a foundation of law; n maintaining an effective macroeconomic policy environment, including capable financial institutions; n investing in basic social services and infrastructure; n providing a comprehensive safety net for vulnerable members of society; and n protecting the environment. Government credibility which the bank defines as the predictability of rules and policies and their consistent application is as important for attracting private investment as the content of those rules and policies. For example, the report cites a survey of entrepreneurs in 69 countries that was used to gauge government credibility and its impact on business. The survey shows a strong correlation between a country s credibility rating and its record of growth and private investment. Such ratings are based on investors perceptions, and it is these perceptions that shape investment behaviour. The survey reveals that many countries lack the basic institutional foundations for markets to grow: high levels of crime and personal violence and an unpredictable judiciary combine to produce what the report defines as the lawlessness syndrome. The report says markets cannot fully develop without effective property rights, which can only work with three preconditions: protection from theft, violence, and other predatory acts; protection from arbitrary actions, from ad hoc regulation and taxes to outright corruption; and a fair and predictable judicial system. Good Government a Necessity Globalization, says the report, is a threat to weak or capriciously-governed states. However, it opens the way for effective, disciplined states to foster development and economic well-being, and it sharpens the need for international cooperation in pursuit of global public goods. The World Bank says governments hesitation to open up to the world economy is understandable since joining the global economy carries with it risks as well as opportunities. This makes the role of the state even more critical, both in handling the subsequent shock of the transition and in helping people and companies exploit the opportunities of the global marketplace. But the difficulties should not be exaggerated, especially when compared with the risks of being left out, the report adds. The approaching 21st century brings great promise of change and reason for hope. In a world of dizzying changes in markets, civil societies and global forces, the state is under pressure to become more effective, but it is not yet adapting rapidly enough to keep pace. People living in ineffective states have long suffered the consequences in terms of postponed growth and social development, but the World Bank warns that an even bigger cost may now threaten states that postpone reforms: political and social unrest and in some cases disintegration, which exacts a tremendous toll on stability, productive capacity and human life. Building a more effective state will not be easy, said Mr. Wolfensohn. But the report shows how the opportunities for reform can open and widen. Even in the worst of situations, very small steps toward a more effective state can have a large impact on economic and social welfare. As we approach the 21st century, the challenge for states is neither to shrink into insignificance, nor to dominate markets, but to start taking those small steps. Contact: Phil Hay, Media Relations Officer, External Relations Department, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/473 1796, fax +1-202/522 2632, e-mail . HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC GROWING THREAT TO CHILDREN, SAYS UNAIDS A new report by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) says the world s children are under increasing threat from the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Go Between summarizes the report s findings and gives details about a UNAIDS campaign launched in June, which focuses on Children Living in a World with AIDS. The UNAIDS report, also entitled Children Living in a World with AIDS, documents the increasingly dramatic situation of millions of children worldwide who are living under threat from the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Every day, 1000 children become infected with HIV, and UNAIDS estimates by the end of 1997 one million children under the age of 15 will be living with the virus and suffering the physical and psychological consequences of infection. Since the beginning of the epidemic, over two million HIV-positive children have been born to HIV-positive mothers, and hundreds of thousands of children have acquired HIV from blood transfusions and through sex or drug use. Over nine million children are estimated to have lost their mothers to AIDS. AIDS is the most recognized disease in the world today, said UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot. But the disastrous impact it is having on children has not been given enough attention. If the spread of HIV is not rapidly contained, the gains made in reducing infant and child death rates will be reversed in many countries. UNAIDS estimates that by the year 2010, AIDS may increase infant mortality by as much as 75% and under-five child mortality by more than 100% in the countries hardest hit by the epidemic. Children Living with HIV According to the report, more children than ever are contracting HIV and there is no sign that the infection rate is slowing. In 1996 about 400,000 children worldwide under the age of 15 years became infected with HIV. Around 90% of these children acquired the virus from their HIV-positive mothers, whether before or during birth or through breast-feeding. Women of child-bearing age make up an ever-increasing proportion of people with HIV worldwide today, AIDS kills more women than men in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS says reducing the vulnerability of infants to HIV infection in the long term means increasing women s control over their lives, improving their ability to take decisions about their own reproductive and sexual health, and increasing the knowledge and sense of responsibility of both men and women about HIV prevention. It also means increasing women s access to antiviral drug regimes, which can cut the risk of mother-to-child transmission. Children who are already infected and sick are in a grave situation, especially in poorer countries that have been unable to benefit from recent advances in antiviral therapy. In these countries, even inexpensive medicines to treat HIV-related illnesses and reduce suffering are often unavailable. More than 20% of HIV-positive children in Europe are still alive at the age of ten; by contrast, in Zambia nearly 50% of HIV-positive children die by the age of two. Other Effects on Children Children are not only infected by HIV; they are also affected. Children living in communities struck by AIDS feel its impact as their parents and teachers become infected, as health and social services are stretched beyond their limits, and as their families take in other children who have been orphaned by the epidemic. In all countries, families and the traditional safety net of the extended family are coming under increasing pressure a recent survey of social care in seven countries showed that by the age of eight, 60% of children born to HIV-positive mothers lived in alternative care. When an HIV diagnosis occurs in the family, often the household suffers disproportionately from stigma, isolation and impoverishment. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has also made sexual abuse of children and child prostitution more dangerous than ever. The belief that children are less likely to be infected has raised the demand for younger sex workers recent studies estimate that more than one million children now enter the sex trade every year. A Window of Hope But if children are an increasing part of the AIDS problem, they are also a critical part of the solution. The report, which says information and the promotion of children s rights are important keys to reducing risky behaviour, recommends a number of areas in which sustained efforts can improve children s situation. These include providing sexual health education; expanding both educational and employment opportunities, and strengthening health and social services to families and communities. AIDS has changed the world for children, said Peter Piot. It is the responsibility of everyone governments, communities, and individuals to rise to this new challenge and to bring urgent support to children and their families as they face the uniquely painful realities of life in a world with AIDS. 1997 World AIDS Campaign The publication of the report also marked the launch of a world AIDS campaign, which UNAIDS says will aim to increase public understanding of the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on children and encourage further action to prevent HIV infection and improve care. The campaign is designed to promote: n better understanding of the magnitude and diversity of the impact of HIV/AIDS on children, their families and their communities; n stronger commitment, improved policies and increased action for preventing HIV infection and minimizing the epidemic s impact on children, their families and their communities; n increased and improved access to quality education and relevant information on the prevention and care of HIV/AIDS for children, their families and their communities; and n greater understanding of the interaction between children s rights, human rights and HIV/AIDS. The campaign is being led by UNAIDS and its co-sponsoring organizations: the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. Other partners include the Children and AIDS International NGO Network; Franáois-Xavier Bagnoud, Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University; Panos; and the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Contact: Anne Winter, Manager, Communications and Public Information, UNAIDS, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 4577, +41-79/213 4312 (mobile), fax +41-22/691 4187, e-mail , web site (http://www.unaids.org). UNICEF RANKS THE PROGRESS OF NATIONS IN 1997 Violence against women and girls is a major obstacle to social and economic development in the world today, according to The Progress of Nations 1997, published by the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF). In addition to progress for women, the report examines worldwide progress on achievements in water and sanitation, child nutrition and health, and education. The report tells both good news and bad, and some news that is both. For example, mortality rates among children under five have declined impressively over the past 15 years, but HIV/AIDS is undermining that success in about 30 countries. A code is in place to protect breastfeeding from unethical infant formula marketing practices but enforcement of the code is spotty. Safe water supplies have expanded dramatically in recent years but access to sanitation is faulty. And official development assistance continues to fall, although a shift in and to social sectors can be detected. Women More than 60 million women who should be alive today are missing because of violence associated with gender discrimination, says the report. It describes a shocking litany of violence and abuse against women and girls, including dowry killings in India, domestic violence in the United States, acid throwing in Bangladesh, female infanticide and female genital mutilation (see Go Between 64). Social scientists are now discovering that the scope of violent acts against women and girls far exceeds earlier estimates: between 25% and 50% of all women have suffered physical abuse at the hands of an intimate partner, and up to one in five women will be victims of rape in their lifetime. Violence against women also means violence against girls, and some types of gender violence specifically target girls, says Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director. The preference for sons in certain countries results in widespread abortion of female foetuses, and the murder of newborn girls takes place in some communities, particularly parts of Asia. In today s world, she added, to be born female is to be born high risk. Every girl grows up under the threat of violence. The report argues that education for girls is a key component; girls denied the right to attend school are relegated to a weak social and economic position, which leaves them vulnerable to oppression and ultimately to violence. Laws that criminalize gender-based violence are also an important step. Although legislation provides no guarantee of protection for women, national laws can help to establish standards for society. Out of 193 nations in the world, only 44 have enacted legislation against domestic violence, only 27 have laws against sexual harassment, and only 17 regard marital rape a crime. And even in countries where legislation exists, the challenge is to make sure the law is enforced. Sanitation Gap Adequate sanitation is the foundation of development but a decent toilet or latrine is an unknown luxury to half the people on earth. On the brink of the 21st century, says the report, half the world s people are enduring a medieval level of sanitation. Almost three billion individuals do not have access to a decent toilet. And when there is a medieval level of sanitation, there is a medieval level of disease: in many developing countries, the plagues of old are revisiting, taking their strength from teeming urban squatter settlements and waterways awash in excrement and garbage. The main result of inadequate sanitation can be summed up in one deadly word: diarrhoea. It kills 2.2 million children a year, consumes precious funds in health care costs, and prevents families and nations from climbing the ladder of development. The report, which cites the recent cholera epidemic in Peru and outbreaks of bubonic and pneumonic plague in India, says providing sanitation systems is a daunting and expensive task but not impossible. It requires, among other things, political will and a clear-headed understanding of the implications of failing to act. Putting Babies Before Business UNICEF says the first step on the road toward healthy nutrition for children is protecting, supporting and promoting breast-feeding, whose benefits for babies everywhere are undisputed. And in developing nations, breastfeeding for babies is imperative. Their very survival depends on the immune-boosting properties of mother s milk. For them, infant formula is not just inferior; it can cause disease or even death. A key vehicle for promoting infant nutrition is the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. The code, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981, calls on all countries to regulate marketing of breastmilk substitutes to prevent breast-feeding from being undermined. However, just 16 countries have adopted legally-enforceable measures implementing the code in its entirety. Health: Fighting AIDS Together AIDS now threatens to reverse the progress that has been achieved in many developing countries over the past 30 years. The report presents new data showing the impact AIDS will have on infant mortality rates in the coming decades and warns against a growing complacency in the industrialized countries as high-cost treatments seem to make AIDS manageable. It says the fight against AIDS faces new enemies: complacency in the industrialized countries and divisiveness between the rich and poor nations. Development Assistance The report, which also discusses industrialized countries, says the latest available figures show official development assistance (ODA) in 1995 slumped to the lowest level since aid statistics were first collected in 1950. With average contributions at just 0.27% of gross national product (GNP), the United States comes out at the bottom of the league with a contribution of only 0.10 as a percentage of GNP. The leading donor nations, measured by contributions as a percentage of GNP, are Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden, with Japan giving the most in absolute terms (US$14.5 billion), almost double that of the US (US$7.4 billion). A glimmer of hope in the disquieting aid picture, it adds, is the evidence of a shift in aid allocation towards social sectors. This trend gains further impetus from the 20/20 initiative, which calls for allocating 20% of aid and 20% of developing countries budgets for basic social services. These services, says the report, are the foundation for sustainable human development. Contact: HÇläne Martin, Division of Communication, UNICEF, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/909 5519, fax +41-22/909 5907; or Madeline Eisner, Division of Communication, UNICEF, 3 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/326 7261, fax +1-212/326 7768. UNDCP REPORT EXPLORES ILLICIT DRUG PROBLEMS, POLICY DEBATES Illicit drugs, with an estimated total revenue of US$400 billion per year, represent about 8% of total international trade, according to the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). The World Drug Report, the first in a biennial series, analyzes the illicit drug phenomenon through its linkages with drug dependence, trafficking, crime and violence, and discusses public policy debates and selected country cases. The drug phenomenon is unique in the number of aspects of people s lives that it affects: the health of the individual, political and economic development, safety in the streets and the stability of governments. The social and economic costs of drug abuse, said UNDCP Executive Director Giorgio Giacomelli, place an intolerable strain on the social infrastructures of developed and developing countries alike. The illicit production of drugs diverts human and natural resources from more productive activities and weakens the foundation for long-term economic growth. As drug abuse affects more and more countries, the power of international drug trafficking organizations threatens to corrupt and destabilize the institutions of government. Why do People Take Drugs? Why people take illicit drugs is perhaps the most complex and heavily-debated aspect of the issue. Psychoactive substances have been used since antiquity within well-defined and socially-integrated practices of medicine, religion and ceremony. However, these traditional patterns have largely broken down in the last century and, stimulated by profit-seeking criminal organizations, have been replaced by unassimilated, culturally-degenerate forms of use, says the report. Although such influences are powerful, most people manage to cope with economic and personal hardship, boredom and depression without recourse to illicit drugs. The question is therefore, asks the report, not just why certain groups or individuals are drawn into illicit drug use, but why other, apparently similar individuals or groups, are not. Heredity is considered to be a possible risk factor that may predispose a person to problematic drug use. Research on interpersonal factors shows that the onset of drug abuse often occurs during adolescence, a period of transition commonly characterized by stress and anxiety. And dysfunctional family life, rather than poverty, seems to be one of the most significant factors in predisposing an individual to take drugs. The earlier the age of initiation into illicit drug use, the more likely the individual will take other types of drugs and will consume them more frequently. Many studies show the age of first-time drug use is falling: in the United States, use of marijuana and cocaine among eighth-grade students doubled between 1991 and 1994, with the the average age of initiation into marijuana use at 13.9 years. Health and Social Consequences Besides potential damage from drug abuse to an individual s health, harm may also extend to the drug taker s family. The harm to others may be health-related or have a debilitating effect on family life in a variety of ways: a pregnant woman who consumes drugs may cause harm to her foetus, and parental chronic drug abuse may lead to their children being adopted, abandoned or taken into institutional care. A study of children of heroin-abusing parents in Madrid (Spain) shows that 37% were living with someone other than their parents, and in Geneva (Switzerland) more than half such children were living with someone other than their biological father or mother. Parents who misuse drugs could also unwittingly set a model that their children will follow in the future. Among other health risks, drug injection heightens the possibility of contracting Hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS. The report also discusses the social and economic costs of drug-related crimes and drug use (including alcohol) in the workplace. Role of Organized Crime The report says total revenue of the illicit drug industry probably is around US$400 billion. The most important role of organized crime in the industry is to provide investment capital, which mafias and cartels often raise from other types of crime: profits from smuggling cigarettes and emeralds enabled the Sicilian Mafia and the Colombian Medellin cartel respectively to make sizeable investments in the drugs trade. To avoid detection of ill-gotten gains, many traffickers concentrate money laundering operations in countries where enforcement is weak and legislation absent. Perhaps the most significant impact of money laundering on the legitimate economy, says the report, is that it undermines the integrity of the financial system and this, depending on the extent and the rapidly of the loss of confidence, can have devastating consequences at the national and international level. Environmental Destruction Environmental destruction is a serious by-product of illicit drug production: cocaine and heroin processors dump vast quantities of toxic chemicals and waste products of the extraction process into small streams and rivers or burying them underground. The destruction of Amazonian forests for coca cultivation, says the report, contributes to the loss of rare plant species from which future pharmaceutical drugs and other human benefits may be developed. Drugs and Public Policy The report says there is growing consensus that more should be done to understand and reduce the demand for drugs, and new principles should be elaborated on demand reduction. The blurring of former distinctions between producer and consumer countries has prompted a policy shift in many countries away from a polarized view of the drug addict as either helpless victim or an wanton criminal. The focus is now on a fusion of criminal law with social and welfare concerns that restores both individual and collective responsibility while increasing the repression of trafficking organizations. The report also discusses the legalization debate, along with controversial issues such as administration of legalization, exempt groups, the economics of legalization and inconsistency in policies toward other drugs (such as alcohol and tobacco). Selected Country Cases The report concludes with a detailed look at the drug situations in eight selected countries: Australia, Colombia, Italy, Pakistan, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States. Contact: Distribution Services, Oxford University Press, Saxon Way West, Corby Northants NN18 9ES, UK, telephone +44-1536/741519, fax +44-1536/746 3377. UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS AGENDA FOR DEVELOPMENT On 20 June the UN General Assembly, after four years of negotiations, adopted the Agenda for Development as part of an ongoing intergovernmental process of UN reform. The agenda, which seeks to balance the need for sustainable development with that of sustained economic growth, emphasizes the close linkages between peace and development. It also provides a synthesis of the results of various UN world conferences and examines the UN s role and responses, both in its policy and operational development activities. The Agenda for Development (GA resolution 51/240) emerged in the wake of then Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali s elaboration in 1992 of an Agenda for Peace. At that time developing countries, concerned that development would become downgraded on the UN agenda in favour of peace and security in the post-Cold War period, requested the Secretary-General to prepare a document to re-situate development at the centre of the work of the United Nations. However, member states of the General Assembly later decided to negotiate their own agenda, and an Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on an Agenda for Development was set up in December 1994 to begin work on the document eventually adopted by the GA. Like other GA working groups, it was not open to NGO observers. Definition of Development The definition of development contained in the preamble of the Agenda for Development says, Development is one of the main priorities of the United Nations. Development is a multidimensional undertaking to achieve a higher quality of life for all people. Economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development. Through such growth, it says, which should be broadly based so as to benefit all people, countries will be able to improve the standards of living of their people through the eradication of poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy,the provision of adequate shelter and secure employment for all,and the preservation of the integrity of the environment. The preamble stresses that essential parts of the foundations of people-centred sustainable development are democracy; respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development; transparent and accountable governance and administration in all sectors of society; and effective participation by civil society. It also says the empowerment of women and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society is fundamental for development. New Challenges and Opportunities Part I of the agenda notes that because of reduced international tensions, opportunities exist for reducing military expenditures and arms investments in order to increase resources for social and economic development. Globalization and growing interdependence in the economic, social and environmental fields means an increasing number of issues cannot be effectively addressed by countries individually but require greater international cooperation. In this context the agenda emphasizes the important role that must be played by non-state actors, such as transnational corporations, private financial institutions and NGOs. The agenda stresses the UN s unique characteristics of global reach, universal membership, and its impartiality and comprehensive mandate, through which the organization can function as an overarching political forum for political debate and give political impetus to more specialized parts of the wider UN system. The agenda thus calls for intensified political interaction with member states and institutions, such as the Bretton Woods Institutions and the World Trade Organization, but also with non-state actors. Policy Framework and Means of Implementation Part II stresses countries shared interest in an international environment favourable to all and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. It includes sections on economic development; social development; empowerment of women; rights of the child; population, development and international migration; the environment; humanitarian issues; participatory approaches to development; and actions related to Africa and countries in special situations, such as the least-developed, small island and landlocked developing states, and countries with economies in transition. The section on means of implementation discusses mobilizing domestic resources for development; external resources; external debt; Official Development Assistance (ODA); roles and resources of multilateral financial institutions; UN financing for development; private investment flows; qualitative aspects of development cooperation; and capacity building. Institutional Issues and Follow Up Part III of the agenda examines interaction between the United Nations and other multilateral development institutions, including BWIs and the WTO. It also establishes mechanisms for follow up and implementation of the agenda. National plans and priorities, says the agenda, constitute the only viable frame of reference for the national programming of operational activities within the UN system, which should be country-driven. In this context all reform efforts should aim at enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of delivery of UN assistance at a country level, including through the Resident Coordinator System, which should facilitate a coherent and coordinated UN follow-up to major international conferences at the field level. Among the specialized agencies, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is highlighted in