Go Between 68, Feb.-April 1998 UN NEWS RENEWAL OF THE DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE The United Nations General Assembly has begun preparations for a high-level dialogue on the economic and social impact of globalization and interdependence and their policy implications. The dialogue, tentatively set for 17-18 September before the 53rd United Nations GA general debate begins, is the first in a series of proposed annual dialogues on strengthening international economic cooperation. In March two days of informal consultations of the GA yielded general agreement among governments on the timing and possible format of the dialogue. Ambassador Oscar de Rojas (Venezuela), who chaired the consultations, summed up his findings in a letter to GA President Hennadiy Udovenko in which he said that the official intergovernmental dialogue could be complemented by informal panel sessions with participation of non-state actors, which would be held in conjunction with (but not an official part of) the dialogue. The specific focus for the ministerial roundtables and the informal panels, to be selected following further consultations, will be drawn from both the economic and social aspects of the impacts of globalization. The dialogue will close with reports from the ministerial roundtables and a final, interactive discussion among the ministers. The president of the 53rd General Assembly, who will chair the dialogue, will issue a presidential summary that will provide guidance and momentum to General Assembly negotiations. Some observers have remarked that this shows a growing interest at a high level for the UN to renew its consideration of international economic and development questions. (See also, for example, page 20 on preparations for an event on financing for development.) 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 . PREPARING FOR WESTERN SAHARA REFERENDUM The future of Western Sahara is finally to be decided six years after the postponement of a referendum foreseen under a 1991 settlement plan. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) are gearing up to assist in the voluntary repatriation of refugees to Western Sahara for a referendum planned on 7 December 1998. Up to 120,000 refugees who are voters and their immediate family members are expected to return for the referendum, which is considered the key to implementing the settlement plan. Voters will choose between independence for the territory or integration with Morocco. In September 1997 an agreement was reached on implementing the settlement plan following a breakthrough in talks between the conflicting parties Morocco and Polisario Front under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General s Personal Envoy, James Baker III. Under the settlement plan, MINURSO will assume transitional authority in the territory from 7 June until the announcement of final voting results at the end of the year. MINURSO will also ensure free and fair voting. During the transitional period under MINURSO amnesty is to be proclaimed for returnees and political prisoners, prisoners of war are to be released, and troops are to be reduced and confined to designated locations. UNHCR s main involvement in the operation is to safely return refugees who have been identified as eligible to participate in the referendum and who wish to go back to the territory in time to vote. UNHCR s activities will be divided into three time periods: a registration/preparatory phase from January to June 1998; a repatriation phase from July to December 1998; and a rehabilitation/reintegration phase, which will take place after the referendum. Contact: Hedayat Abdel Nabi, Senior Public Information Officer, UNHCR, Case postale 2500, CH-1211 Geneva 2 D‚p“t, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/739 8506, fax +41-22/739 7314, e-mail . G-24: POST-ASIAN CRISIS TASK FORCE NEEDED The Group of 24, a grouping of developing countries at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, held an extraordinary session in Caracas (Venezuela) on 7-9 February to develop a common approach to the aftermath of the East Asian crisis. After the meeting, the group issued a declaration that calls for a wide ranging review of current international arrangements by a task force composed of industrialized and developing countries. The issues proposed for review include: -- capacities and modalities of international financial and development institutions to respond in a timely and effective manner to crises induced by large-scale capital movements; -- appropriateness of conditions prescribed by the institutions dealing with such crises; -- equitable sharing of post-crisis financial stabilization costs between private creditors, borrowers and governments; -- modalities for building domestic safety nets for the most vulnerable groups of crisis-affected populations as integral elements of stabilization and adjustment programmes; and -- increased representation and participation of developing countries in international decision-making organs, including revision of the basis for determining voting power in international financial institutions. CONVENTION ON DANGEROUS CHEMICALS/PESTICIDES After two years of negotiations, 95 countries have unanimously agreed on a legally-binding convention on international trade and hazardous chemicals and pesticides (see Go Between 67). Through the treaty, agreed to at an intergovernmental meeting held in Brussels (Belgium) from 9-14 March, governments honoured commitments made at the 1992 Earth Summit to negotiate a convention to curb trade in certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides. The aim of the convention is to enable importing countries to decide what chemicals they want to receive and to keep out the ones they cannot manage safely, said Maria de Azevedo Rodrigues, chair of the conference. It is expected that trade can be better controlled and that the risks of these dangerous chemicals can be reduced to benefit people and the environment. Countries also are expected to put national legislation into force. Until the industry can substitute hazardous chemicals with safer products, especially those exported to developing countries, a damage control system as provided by the convention is needed. The preamble of the convention recognizes that trade and environmental policies should be mutually supportive to achieve sustainable development. The treaty aims to protect the environment and human health, including the health of consumers and workers. It addresses the problem of chemicals and pesticides banned or severely restricted in industrialized countries that are still exported to other, often developing, countries. The convention requires that harmful pesticides and chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted in at least two countries shall not be exported unless explicitly agreed by the importing country. This is known as the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure. Based on experience of the present voluntary PIC procedure, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimate that more than 50 substances could enter the PIC list in future, subject to discussion of the Conference of Parties. Under the treaty, exporting countries will be legally bound to inform importing countries about exports of chemicals banned or severely restricted in the exporting country. Countries that ratify the treaty will be obliged to enforce the agreement at national level and to create enforcement mechanisms that will control commercial exports and exporters. In developing countries and countries in transition technical assistance for the development of the infrastructure and the capacity necessary to mange chemicals shall be promoted. The treaty enters into force upon ratification by 50 countries. A diplomatic conference will be held in Rotterdam (the Netherlands) in September to officially adopt and sign the convention. Contact: Jim Willis, UNEP, Geneva Executive Centre, 15 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219 Chƒtelaine, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/979 9183, e-mail or Niek Van der Graaff, Chief, Plant Protection Service, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5705 3441, fax +39-6/5705 6347, web site (http://irptc.unep.ch/pic/h2.html). ILO SAYS CHILD LABOUR RISKS GROWING IN AFRICA The growing army of child labourers in Africa is expected to swell by at least one million new children per year if current economic and social trends persist, warns an International Labour Office (ILO) report prepared for a meeting of workers, employers and governments in Kampala (Uganda). The report on Child Labour in Africa Targeting the Intolerable, estimates that the number of child labourers on the continent could surge from today s 80 million to over 100 million by the year 2015, as a result of a demographic explosion of impoverished people and inadequate economic growth. The meeting in Kampala on 5-7 February, co-organized by the ILO and the Organization of African Unity (OAU), brought together participants from 22 African countries. In the concluding report of the meeting, participants urged African states to commit themselves to abolishing child labour as prescribed in the 1973 ILO Minimum Age Convention and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. They also called on African governments to ratify the African Charter on the Rights of the Child. While acknowledging that some children have no choice but to work due to current social and economic conditions, the final report says that such work should be regulated and not endanger children s health and safety. And it should be combined with some kind of education and social services, with priority given to the immediate suppression of extreme forms of child labour within time-bound programmes for action. The meeting final report also called for, among other things: -- improved legislation as a statement of political commitment and conformity of national legislation to international labour standards; -- participation of African governments in developing proposed new international labour standards on extreme forms of child labour; and -- ILO assistance to the Organization of African Unity in strengthening its capacity to address labour issues and, along with the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF), examination of the question of international resources and the social impact of structural adjustment policies to improve or reduce their adverse impact on the poor. Contact: International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), ILO, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/799 8181, fax +41-22/799 8771, e-mail . UNDP/UNCTAD GLOBALIZATION PROGRAMME The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have formed a partnership aimed at assisting developing countries to benefit from globalization. The US$2.9 million programme on Globalization, Liberalization and Sustainable Human Development pools the two organizations technical and financial resources to help improve the participation of low- and middle-income developing countries in the global economy, especially in critical areas such as trade and foreign investment. Under the programme, national institutions will receive support for strengthening their research and negotiation capabilities, as well as for policy development and implementation. We must make every effort to ensure that the trend towards increased marginalization of least developed countries is reversed and that they obtain the tools to access the benefits of globalization, said Eimi Watanabe, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Development Policy. Contact: Georges Chapelier, Principal Technical Officer, Management, Development and Governance Programme, UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/906 6634, fax +1-212/906 6471, e-mail or John Burley, Chief, Inter-Organizational Affairs and Technical Cooperation, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 5736, fax +41-22/917 0042, e-mail . UNCTAD/UNIDO FORM STRATEGIC ALLIANCE The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have forged a new strategic alliance to boost investment in developing countries. A memorandum of understanding to ensure cost effectiveness and optimal use of official development assistance was signed on 26 March by UNCTAD Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero and the newly-appointed UNIDO Director-General Carlos Magarinos. The alliance harnesses the two organizations comparative advantages to maximize delivery of services and avoid duplication, as part of UN efforts to pool the resources of its agencies. While UNIDO will focus on advice and assistance on industrial sector issues and investment and technology promotion support, UNCTAD will concentrate on policy issues affecting investment promotion, including regulatory and institutional frameworks for investment. These arrangements will also include formation of new partnerships between the two organizations and the private sector of industry. Initial target countries include, among others, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Egypt, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, Uganda and Uzbekistan, as well as the Palestinian Authority and West African Economic and Monetary Union. Areas for cooperation include preparation of investment policy reviews and guides, development of regulatory frameworks for investment, organization of investment and technology forums and business gatherings, and promotion of technological innovation. Contact: Khalil Hamdani, Chief, Investment and Technology Policies Reviews, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 6288, fax +41-22/917 0197, e-mail or Y. Maruno, Deputy to the Director-General and Managing Director, Investment Promotion and Institutional Capacity Building Division, UNIDO, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 300, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/21131 3730, fax +43-1/21131 6809. WORKING GROUP ON BIOSAFETY MEETS Delegates in the fourth session of the Open-Ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety, which met from 5-13 February in Montreal (Canada), began negotiating a consolidated text to serve as the basis for future negotiations on a biosafety protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The negotiations will take place at the next session of the working group on 17-28 August. The meeting used two sub-working groups to address the protocol s core articles and two contact groups to discuss definitions, annexes, institutional matters and final clauses. Delegates focused on, among other things, principles and objectives, general obligations, socio-economic considerations, liability and compensation, non-discrimination, capacity building, minimum national standards, risk assessment and management, and Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) procedures. Delegates recommended to the fourth Conference of the Parties, to be held in Bratislava (Slovakia) from 4-15 May, a deadline of 1 June for protocol provisions to be submitted by governments, and they called for ensuring adequate financial support for the negotiation process. The Convention on Biological Diversity, negotiated under the auspices of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), was adopted in May 1992 and opened for signature at the June 1992 Earth Summit. The treaty entered into force on 29 December 1993. Contact: Thomas Yongo, Associate Legal Officer Biosafety, Convention on Biological Diversity, 393 St. Jacques Street, Office 300, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 1N9, Canada, telephone +1-514/287 7028, fax +1-514/288 6588, e-mail . GUIDELINES ON HIV/AIDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread throughout the world at an alarming rate, bringing in its wake widespread abuse of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Many people with HIV/AIDS suffer discrimination, intolerance and prejudice. It is against this background and during the 50th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have published the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. The guidelines, which offer concrete measures to protect human rights and health where HIV/AIDS is concerned, are important not just for people living with HIV but for society in general. Creating an environment in which there is respect for the human rights of people living with the virus or affected by it in other ways (for example AIDS orphans) will help them live with dignity and without discrimination, according to UNAIDS. Such an environment can also reduce the numbers of people vulnerable to infection. Strengthening the human rights of women, children and marginalized groups is an important first step. Because the human rights of such groups have been eroded in a number of countries, they are disproportionately affected and have more limited access to resources to prevent or treat infection. In a climate of discrimination, people are less likely to present themselves for voluntary HIV testing and are thereby denied treatment, care and support. This also hinders efforts by public health authorities to control the epidemic. The measures in the guidelines follow three broad approaches: -- improving governments capacity to take on responsibility for dealing with the issues, encouraging them to coordinate action across ministries, NGOs and communities, and to promote a supportive environment for groups vulnerable to HIV/AIDS; -- reforming laws and legal support services and focusing on anti-discrimination, protection of public health and the improvement of the status of women, children and marginalized groups; and -- increasing private sector and community participation in the response to HIV/AIDS, including building the capacity and responsibility of civil society to respond ethically and effectively. The guidelines, which call on governments and communities to confront the issues with a sense of urgency, stress that fulfilment of a state s obligations concerning rights to non-discrimination, health, information, education, employment, social welfare and public participation is crucial to ensure humane care and support for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The guidelines also highlight the fact that in the context of UNAIDS, human rights and public health are inextricably linked. Contact: Anne Winter, Manager, Communications and Public Information, UNAIDS, 10 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 4577, fax +41-22/7914188, e-mail , web site (http://www.unaids.org) or John Mills, Information Officer, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 3309, fax +41-22/917 0030, e-mail . LANDMINE CHALLENGE CAN BE MET WITHIN YEARS Landmines kill, maim and terrorize indiscriminately. The suffering and impoverishment they cause has provoked a unique and truly global crusade to secure their total elimination. The challenge is daunting but it can be met within years, not decades. These are some of the conclusions of a study that examines mine-action programmes supported by the United Nations in Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia and Mozambique. The Multi-Country Study on the Development of Indigenous Mine-Action Capacities, initiated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) at the end of 1996, reveals that much has been learned since 1988 when the first UN humanitarian mine-action programme was launched in Afghanistan. The study emphasizes the need to focus on the impact of mines on people and their means of survival, thus allowing for the identification of communities that are directly affected by mines. It concludes that when the starting point is the safety and well-being of people, it is easier to develop effective programmes and prioritize areas to be cleared. The focus should be on strengthening the capacity of affected communities to reduce the dangers and risks inherent in mined neighbourhoods, villages and farming areas. Even in severe situations, with adequate resources and well-coordinated programmes, the most acute aspects of the landmine problem communities that are directly threatened can be addressed in a matter of years, rather than decades. The experience of Afghanistan shows this clearly: it is anticipated that all high-priority minefields there will have been cleared in the next two years. Resources will still be required to clear other mine areas, but the threat to life and limb will have been dramatically reduced. The study also finds that there is no substitute for helping mine-affected countries acquire the management and technical expertise essential for sustainable and cost-effective programmes. In Afghanistan there are some 3000 full-time deminers employed by UN-supported NGOs. With well-coordinated external assistance, such programmes can become progressively more sustainable. Contact: Gloria Byas, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 4631, fax +1-212/963 1040. LANDMINE CAMPAIGN: NEXT STEPS A meeting on The Road from Ottawa: Implementing the Landmine Ban Treaty took place at the United Nations in Geneva on 27 January. Ambassador J.S. Selebi, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN in Geneva and chair of the Oslo meeting that negotiated the Convention to Ban Landmines (see Go Between 67), stressed the importance of deepening the partnership between NGOs and governments to maintain the visibility and political momentum that enabled the convention to become a reality. He also warned against renegotiating what had been agreed in an effort to bring on board those states that have so far refused to join the convention. Peter Herby, a legal expert at the International Committee of the Red Cross, spoke of the need to universalize the ban and observed that the convention will become over time the universally-accepted norm, in the same way as the 1899 prohibition of dum-dum bullets had. Taking this forward would require dialogue with the military and convincing armed non-state groups to stop using landmines. Susan Walker of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines identified four challenges: ratification and entry into force (four countries have so far ratified the convention Canada, Ireland, Mauritius and Turkmenistan and a further 36 must do so by 9 September 1998); establishing ways of monitoring compliance; mounting national and international campaigns to convince non-signatory countries to join; and lobbying for vastly increased resources for demining and assistance to landmine victims. She cited a large number of meetings scheduled to take place in 1998 to address these and other issues. Bill Howell of Handicap International said the US$500 million pledged in Ottawa for action on mines should be spent in the field. And instead of searching for the ultimate magic machine of tomorrow to destroy anti-personnel mines, more investment is required for improving present methods such as infrastructure, equipment and personnel. Around 70 participants attended the meeting, including government delegates to the Conference on Disarmament, NGOs and disarmament experts. Contact: US Campaign to Ban Landmines, care of VVAF, 2001S. 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). ACTION PLAN BRIDGES CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT At an intergovernmental conference on Cultural Policies for Development, held 30 March-2 April in Stockholm (Sweden), 140 member states adopted an action plan to place culture and cultural policies at the centre of their development strategies. During discussions the conference, organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and hosted by the Swedish government, heard the views of over 100 NGOs, foundations and representatives of youth and the business sector. Federico Mayor, UNESCO Director-General, said the conference marked a historic turning point in that, for the first time, political decision makers from all countries unanimously recognized the importance of culture for human dignity and the need to protect cultural identity and cultural diversity. The action plan defines five main objectives: -- make cultural policy a key component of development strategies; -- promote creativity and participation in cultural life; -- reinforce measures to preserve cultural heritage and promote cultural industries; -- promote cultural and linguistic diversity in the information society; and -- make more human and financial resources available for cultural development. Contact: R. Isar, Director, Culture and Development Coordination Office, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 15 08, fax +33-1/45 68 57 07. POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA AND PACIFIC A high-level meeting on population and development, held in Bangkok (Thailand) from 24-27 March, has called on governments to adjust their population policies to reflect the realities of globalization which has contributed to the emergence of new demographic, economic and social issues. Globalization reduces the ability of governments to act alone to exert control over development processes, according to meeting participants, which highlights the need for greater cooperation among governments, between governments and international agencies, and between governments and civil society. The meeting, which brought together representatives of 29 countries from Asia and the Pacific, also recommended that governments cooperate on a regional basis with NGOs and international agencies to seek policy solutions to the problems of globalization. And governments should promote activities that strengthen the family so that it can meet the challenges of new values and roles of family members. The meeting was jointly organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). Its purpose was to review implementation of the Programme of Action of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the 1992 Bali Declaration on Population and Sustainable Development. The meeting report contains recommendations for key future actions required to achieve the goals of the ICPD Programme of Action and the Bali Declaration. Contact: Mohammed Nizamuddin, Director, Technical and Policy Division, UNFPA, 220 E. 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/297 5211, fax +1-212/297 4915. COOPERATION BETWEEN UN AND BUSINESS Broad political and economic changes have opened up new opportunities for dialogue and cooperation between the United Nations and the private sector. And there is great potential for the goals of the UN promoting peace and development and the goals of business to create wealth and prosperity to be mutually supportive. These are some of the points of agreement between UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and representatives of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), issued in a joint statement after their meeting on 9 February. Representatives of over 25 businesses from all regions of the world took part in the meeting, along with UN Secretariat officials and, as observers, representatives of several UN member states in their capacities as heads or members of intergovernmental bodies. Mr. Annan and representatives of the ICC agreed that achieving the mutual goals of the UN and business greatly depends on effective functioning of the global marketplace. It also depends on the existence of open, equitable, inclusive economic systems based on the free flow of trade, investment for economic growth and development, and the avoidance of protectionist measures. And they agreed that growing economic interdependence among nations underscores the importance of supportive institutional frameworks. Business has a strong interest in multilateral cooperation, said the joint statement, including standard-setting through the United Nations and other intergovernmental institutions and international conventions on the environment and other global and transborder issues. Among other conclusions, it was agreed that: -- the UN and the business community should work jointly to expand economic opportunities, especially in countries that may face marginalization; and -- further dialogue between the UN and the private sector should focus on articulating common interests, intensifying the search for partnerships, and translating the potential of cooperation into concrete action. The United Nations and ICC agreed to cooperate to boost investment flows into Africa and the least developed countries; both support a proposal that the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) should prepare a series of business investment guides to the least developed countries with the ICC s cooperation. Contact: Georg Kell, Executive Office of the Secretary-General, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 1490, fax +1-212/963 2155, e-mail or Karl Sauvant, Chief, International Investment, Transnationals and Technology Flows Branch, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 5707, fax +41-22/917 0197, e-mail . CONSUMER PROTECTION, SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION About 50 representatives of governments, international organizations, business and NGOs participated in an Interregional Expert Group Meeting on Consumer Protection and Sustainable Consumption, held 28-30 January in SÆo Paolo (Brazil). Participants in the meeting, organized by the United Nations and hosted by the state government of SÆo Paolo, focused on a background paper prepared by the UN Division for Sustainable Development. The paper includes proposed new guidelines, prepared in cooperation with Consumers International, to add to the 1985 UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection. The 1985 guidelines contain a policy framework outlining what governments can do to promote consumer protection in areas such as safety, economic interests of consumers, quality and distribution of goods and services, consumer education and information, and redress. In 1995 the Commission on Sustainable Development recommended that they be expanded to include guidelines on sustainable consumption patterns, and in the same year the Economic and Social Council requested the UN Secretary-General to elaborate guidelines in this area. Participants in the SÆo Paulo meeting concluded that, among other things, when promoting sustainable consumption governments should act in partnership will all members of society, with attention to the significant role played by women and households as consumers. And they said governments should actively support consumer organizations and other organizations of civil society in promoting sustainable consumption. Their recommendations included the following: -- promote public participation in policy making for the management and use of natural resources; -- information, infrastructure and facilities should be available to consumers wishing to change to sustainable consumption patterns; -- governments should cooperate in changing consumption patterns and be guided by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and the equitable sharing among the world population of environmental resources and the environment s capacity to absorb waste; and -- developed countries should support developing ones in promoting sustainable development and consumption, particularly through financial assistance, transfer of environmentally sound technologies, support for indigenous research and development capabilities, and better access to markets. Participants also stressed that governments should fulfil their obligations under international environmental agreements, including the Montreal Protocol (see E&D File Treaty Series no. 9), the Climate Change Convention (see E&D File Treaty Series no. 7), the Biodiversity Convention (see E&D File Treaty Series no. 4) and Agenda 21. And they said a review and revision mechanism for all the guidelines should be established under the United Nations to assess progress in their implementation by member states. A report containing the meeting s recommendations (E/CN.17/1998/5, 19 February 1998) has been prepared to assist the Commission on Sustainable Development and the Economic and Social Council in considering expansion of the 1985 guidelines. Contact: Erik Brandsma, Division for Sustainable Development, United Nations Department for Social and Economic Affairs, Room DC2-2286, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 0013, fax +1-212/963 4260, e-mail . WORLD BANK/IMF DEBT PACKAGE FOR GUYANA The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have agreed to support a debt reduction package for Guyana under the Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). The total assistance to be provided to Guyana by all of its external creditors will reduce the country s external debt burden by one-fourth, or around US$253 million in net present value (NPV) terms, according to the World Bank. This is estimated to translate into debt-service relief over time of close to US$500 million. The IMF and the Bank will provide assistance with an NPV of US$35 million and US$27 million, respectively. And in recognition of Guyana s exceptional achievements in implementing reform the completion point for delivery of the debt reduction package will be in December 1998, which is an acceleration of the normal three-year waiting period under the HIPC initiative (see Go Between 60). In a country where around 45% of total revenues is used to service debt, the news of the approval of this initiative for Guyana is welcome, said Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana s Minister of Finance. Apart from the positive developmental impact that these additional resources will have, they will also enhance our capacity to reduce poverty, improve the access to and quality of education and health, and accelerate civil service reforms. Contact: Axel van Trotsenburg, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/473 6794 or F. Baker, IMF, 700 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20431, United States, telephone +1-202/623 7061. WORLD FOOD DAY 1998 Women Feed the World is the theme of this year s 18th observance of World Food Day on 16 October. The theme, announced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), was chosen to highlight the significant contribution women make toward household and national food security. It was selected to acknowledge the multiple roles of women in the entire food chain, from agricultural production through post-harvesting activities to processing and marketing. It will also be the focus of FAO s TeleFood event, which aims to raise awareness and mobilize resources through television about the world s chronically hungry and malnourished. Launched last year, TeleFood is part of the follow-up to the 1996 World Food Summit (see NGLS Roundup, January 1997). All money raised through TeleFood goes to small grassroots projects in low income, food-deficit countries around the world. When given the opportunities and resources, women have proved to be active partners in development: efficient, dynamic and open to innovations, said Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General. They represent a formidable potential that could help in meeting the challenges of food security in the 21st century. Globally, women produce more than half of all the food grown, according to FAO. In Africa they produce up to 80% of all basic foodstuffs, and in Asia they provide between 50% 90% of the labour for rice cultivation. Women in rural areas are almost exclusively responsible for their children s nutrition, and they spend a significant part of their household income a much larger part proportionately than men on buying additional food for the family. Despite their contribution to food security, women s work is poorly understood and underestimated. Work in the household is often considered part of a woman s duties as wife and mother, not an occupation to be accounted for in the national economy. Outside the house, a great deal of rural women s labour is unpaid. In most countries women do not own the land they work and when they do, it tends to be smaller, less valuable plots. FAO says prevailing attitudes make the plight of women, especially in rural areas, worse by denying them political power and social representation. Gender-biased legal and social structures and illiteracy are other factors preventing women from improving their economic situation, thus increasing the feminization of poverty. Since the 1970s the number of women living below the poverty line has increased by 50%, in comparison with 30% for men. World Food Day, which marks the founding of FAO on 16 October 1945 in Quebec City (Canada), is observed annually in about 150 countries. Contact: Edgardo Valenzuela, Food and Agriculture Organization, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5705 4189, fax +39-6/5705 3210, e-mail . GROUP OF 77 CHAPTERS MEET The 24th meeting of the heads of Group of 77 chapters met in Geneva on 24-27 March to discuss, among other things, upcoming meetings on South-South cooperation, reversing the declining trends of official development assistance, the UN reform process, and ways to give developing countries a greater say in the formulation of global economic policies. In a final communiqu‚, participants expressed their commitment to further strengthening South-South cooperation. They said they strongly support the holding of a high-level conference on sub-regional and regional economic integration, to take place in Bali from 10-14 August; the tenth session of the Intergovernmental Follow-Up and Coordination Committee on Economic Cooperation Among Developing Countries (ECDC), to take place in Africa in September; and a high-level advisory meeting from 1-3 June in Jakarta (Indonesia) to prepare for a South Summit, in accordance with a decision adopted by the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 in September 1997. The heads reiterated what they described as the urgent need for a substantial increase in official development assistance (ODA) with a view to reversing its declining trends. In this regard, they said, we strongly urge compliance with internationally agreed ODA targets and commitments on new and additional resources. In particular, we urge the developed countries to provide 0.7% of their gross national product as ODA to developing countries by the year 2000. The meeting said reform of the UN Secretariat should be undertaken in accordance with relevant UN resolutions that stress that restructuring of the Secretariat should proceed with the objective of enhancing the effective implementation of the objectives of the Charter; emphasize the prerogative of the General Assembly in the creation, transfer and abolition of posts; assert the principle of equitable geographical representation in the staffing of the Secretariat; and preclude the monopoly on senior posts of any States or group of States. The G-77 chapter heads also said they will seek to give developing countries a greater say in the formulation of global economic policies through enhanced representation in international financial institutions, more efficient participation in key economic fora, and an enhanced economic policy-making role for the United Nations. They said they welcome the mid-term review process underway at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is designed to ensure that the results at UNCTAD IX (see NGLS Roundup, July 1996) are fully implemented. In this context, said the communiqu‚, we recognize the importance of UNCTAD X, to be held in Thailand in the year 2000, as an opportunity to address the new development challenges of the 21st century by taking stock of the course of international economic development with a view to charting a new consensus on development for the next millennium involving a development paradigm that ensures growth with equity. We commit ourselves to working together to make UNCTAD X a system-wide endeavor involving all actors in development in all its dimensions. Contact: Office of the Chairman, Group of 77, PO Box 20, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 2776, fax +1-212/963 0050. TICAD-II PREPCOM CONCLUDES The first preparatory committee meeting of the Second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-II), tentatively scheduled for 19-21 October, met on 2-3 March in Dakar (Senegal) to prepare a preliminary agenda for action. The draft will be considered by a second PrepCom meeting in June in Harare (Zimbabwe), which will also take into account inputs from regional workshops in May. The PrepCom meeting was organized by Japan, the United Nations and the Global Coalition for Africa. The first TICAD, held in Tokyo in October 1993, was attended by about 1000 participants from 48 African countries, 13 donor countries, ten international organizations, over 45 observer countries, and NGOs. Its objective was to reaffirm commitment to African development in the post-Cold War period. Discussions focused on political and economic reform; private sector development; regional cooperation and integration; the Asian experience and African development; and international cooperation. The meeting adopted the Tokyo Declaration on African Development, which encouraged African countries ownership of their development and stressed strengthening partnerships with the international community. TICAD-II will aim to formulate an Agenda for Action for African Development, taking into account challenges in the 21st century facing African countries and the international community. During TICAD-II, 48 African countries, 11 Asian partners, 15 donor countries and a number of international organizations will define their respective and joint roles, and make commitments to implementing approaches identified in the agenda for action. Areas of focus will be: -- social development, including poverty alleviation, education, health and population; -- private sector development; -- agriculture and the environment; -- governance; and -- conflict, peace and development. External debt will also be discussed. The proposed message of TICAD-II will be revitalized/accelerated growth for poverty alleviation and strengthening Africa s participation in the global economy, with special focus on the concept of sustainable economic growth. The third meeting of the PrepCom will be in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in September. Contact: Kimiko Uno, UN Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries, Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Room DC1-1048, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 2166, fax +1-212/963 3892, web site (http://www.un.org/esa/africa). NEW ILO DIRECTOR GENERAL ELECTED Juan Somav¡a (Chile) has been elected Director General of the International Labour Organization. An attorney by profession, he has had a long and distinguished career in civil and international affairs. He has served, among other things, as Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations in New York, Chair of the Preparatory Committee and Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole at the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, Representative of Chile in the Security Council, and President of the Economic and Social Council. WHO DIRECTOR GENERAL NOMINATED Gro Harlem Brundtland, international environmentalist and three-time Prime Minister of Norway, has been nominated as Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). The nomination is being submitted to the World Health Assembly, meeting in Geneva on 11-15 May. After confirmation by the assembly, Ms. Brundtland will take office in July. UN NGO NEWS GOVERNMENTS, NGOS AND WHO PARTNERSHIP A conference on Partnership Between Governments, NGOs and the World Health Organization (WHO), attended by over 2500 representatives from African governments, NGOs and representatives of WHO, met in Dakar (Senegal) from 16-18 February. The main recommendations of the conference were related to: -- the role NGOs can play regarding in-country implementation of health activities; -- the need for an improved partnership between governments, NGOs and WHO through combined efforts for implementation of the global objective of Health for All in the 21st century; and -- the definition of mechanisms for concerted actions between partners in health aimed at achieving an effective and lasting partnership. Among other things, participants discussed establishment of a structure for coordinating and monitoring activities at regional level by setting up an NGO secretariat within the WHO Regional Office for Africa for joint funding by governments, NGOs and WHO. Contact: M.H. Mathey-Boo, Chief, Interagency Resource Mobilization Unit, WHO, Regional Office for Africa, PO Box 773, BE, Belvedere, Harare, Zimbabwe, telephone +263-4/706951, fax +263-4/791214 or 790146, e-mail . WFP FOOD AID DELIVERED IN SIERRA LEONE In March the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) successfully delivered its first food aid by road to malnourished Sierra Leoneans since a coup threw the country into civil unrest in May 1997. Most of the food, enough to feed 40,000 people for one month, is being distributed in the northern part of the country at feeding centres for malnourished children. The centres are operated by the UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) and M‚decins sans frontiŠres. Food supplies are dangerously low in the region as a result of fighting between the country s ousted military junta and a Nigerian-led West African intervention force, as well as widespread looting by fleeing rebels. In addition to WFP relief supplies, the convoys that transported the food also contained food for partner relief agencies Care, Catholic Relief Services, and World Vision International. Contact: Wagdi Othman, Information Officer, WFP-C“te d Ivoire, BP 1747, Abidjan 01, C“te d Ivoire, telephone +225/211709, fax +225/226349. UNESCO, UNDCP AND NGOS LAUNCH YOUTH CHARTER The Youth Charter for a 21st Century Free of Drugs was launched on 9 February during a meeting in Paris organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP). The meeting, held in collaboration with the NGO Environnement sans frontiŠres (Environment Without Borders) which initiated the charter, brought together young people from 25 countries involved in innovative actions to prevent and reduce the demand for illicit drugs. The charter, among other things, affirms that drug trafficking and drug use constitute a threat to the development and progress of societies, and that drugs result in more and more violence, crime, exploitation and other violations. It notes that first experiences with drugs are often motivated by curiosity, idleness and lack of self confidence, as well as the possible indifference and violence in a person s surroundings and the difficulties and trials of everyday life. The charter also stresses the need to meet youths basic needs and treat them with dignity, and it proclaims the right to refuse to take drugs and to have that decision respected by others. The charter, which will be signed by NGOs around the world including the organizations in more than 80 countries that helped elaborate it, will be presented during the special session of the UN General Assembly on drugs, to be held in New York in June (see page 17). Contact: Eric de Romain, Environnement sans frontiŠres, BP 110, F-75770 Paris Cedex 16, France, telephone +33-1/56 26 06 06, fax +33-1/56 26 05 05. UNFPA AND NGO FACE TO FACE CAMPAIGN US Actress Linda Gray will lead an international advocacy campaign for reproductive health care, gender equality and the empowerment of women throughout the world. The campaign, called Face to Face, will be implemented by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and an alliance of European NGOs. The campaign will aim to sensitize the public to the need for universal access to reproductive health care, empowerment of women, and ending gender discrimination and female genital mutilation. Another objective is to ensure that population assistance for developing countries from donor nations is maintained or augmented. We need to be constantly chipping away at long-held cultural prejudices against gender equality, human rights and reproductive choice, especially for women in developing countries, said Dr. Nafis Sadik, UNFPA Executive Director. Reproductive rights can be realized only if we talk openly about them, if we do not sweep the difficult and sensitive issues under the carpet, and if we are well informed and present our facts professionally and convincingly. Advocacy deals with views about women s roles and their rights which often translate into matters of life and death, whether it be gender-based violence, female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices, or very simply the provision or lack of maternal health care. Working closely with Ms. Gray, who will direct the campaign, will be Somali-born fashion model Waris Dirie, a UNFPA special ambassador in the campaign to eradicate female genital mutilation (see Go Between 64). UNFPA goodwill ambassador Keiko Kishi, one of Japan s most prominent actresses, will also participate in the campaign. In the near future Ms. Gray will travel on behalf of the campaign to Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. On a country by country basis, the campaign will consist of celebrity media tours, video news releases, posters and TV, radio and magazine coverage. An information booklet in seven languages on What You Can Do is planned, as well as a made-for-television movie that will deal with sensitive population issues. Contact: Alex Marshall, Deputy Director, Information and External Relations, UNFPA, 220 E. 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/297 5020, fax +1-212/557 6416. UN RAPPORTEUR VISITS NATIVE AMERICANS The Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Abdelfattah Amor (Tunisia), travelled to the US state of Arizona on 2 February to meet with Dine (Navajo) Nation elders. The purpose of the visit, requested by the International Indian Treaty Council, was to investigate possible US government violations of the rights of indigenous peoples to practice and express their religion and religious beliefs. The meeting, which received strong support from numerous European human rights groups, was witnessed by an inter-faith coalition of NGOs including the World Council of Churches, United Methodist Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Church. The special rapporteur s mandate is to investigate clear examples of intentional religious discrimination or persecution by governments in all parts of the world, pursuant to the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance Based on Religion or Belief. Native American representatives discussed a range of subjects with Mr. Amor, including what they described as the prohibition or restrictions on Native American religious expression in United States federal and state prisons, as well as intentional destruction and desecration of sacred sites in the US on Native American reservations. The Dine elders who spoke with Mr. Amor are among a group of traditionals resisting relocation from land awarded to the Hopi Nation by the US government after a decade-long legal dispute. In 1997 the Dine filed a complaint with the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, charging the US government with human rights violations relating to their forced relocation. Among other things, they argued that relocation would violate their right to free religious expression, since many of the sites sacred to them are on land that is being destroyed by strip mining carried out by British-owned Peabody Coal Company. During his visit, Mr. Amor also met with some 150 other Native American representatives across the United States, including representatives of the Apache, Havasupai, Yaqui and Tohono O odham Nations, about the spirituality of indigenous peoples. He will prepare a report on the results of his findings for submission to the UN Commission on Human Rights. PROJECT LINK: SLOWDOWN IN ECONOMIC GROWTH A meeting in New York on 16-19 March of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on the Short- and Medium-Term Prospects of the World Economy (Project LINK) focused on, among other issues: -- global agricultural and oil markets; -- economic forecasting models; -- the Asian economic crisis and its impact on the world economy; -- commodity markets; and -- issues related to the European economic and monetary union. The meeting also discussed the regional outlooks for Western Europe, North America, Japan, countries with economies in transition, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Project LINK, initiated 30 years ago under the auspices of the Social Science Research Council (United States) and Nobel Laureate Professors Lawrence Klein and Bert Hickman of Stanford University, integrates independently developed national econometric models into a global econometric model. The project, which is also supported by the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), encompasses 78 country models, with 45 focusing on developing countries and regions. Project LINK holds two meetings annually to discuss emerging world economic issues, explore short-term forecasts by using the LINK model, and to debate economic policy assumptions and emerging issues. At the meeting representatives of the project said continuing growth of the world s gross domestic product and trade this year will be 2.7% and 7% respectively, compared to 3.1% and 9% last year. They said the major cause of the projected slowdown in global growth is the contraction expected for a number of Asian countries, in contrast with their past high rates of growth. Contact: Project LINK, Institute for Policy Analysis, University of Toronto, Suite 707, 140 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G6, Canada, fax +1-416/978 5519, web site (http://www.un.org/esa/analysis/link.htm). UNESCO STUDY ON TV VIOLENCE AND YOUTH The first global survey on media violence and the largest ever inter-cultural study on its relation to children has found that an average hour of television programming contains five to ten episodes of violence, most of them presented as either thrilling and/or rewarding. The survey, conducted between 1996-1997, found that 91% of children it sampled had access to television at home and spent a daily average of three hours watching it at least 50% longer than any other out-of-school activity including homework. Five thousand 12-year olds in 23 countries were surveyed for a report entitled The UNESCO Global Study on Media Violence, a joint project of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Organization of the Scout Movement, and Utrecht University (Netherlands). Findings were divided into geo-cultural regions (Africa, Arab States, Latin America, Asia, Europe and Canada); boys and girls; and children living in high-aggression environments or non-problematic environments. Also considered was the level of children s technological development (access to computers, Internet, etc.) and its effects on children s response to media contents. The survey did not cover children out of school and those living in extremely remote areas without television. The survey showed that television action heroes such as the Terminator are known to 88% of the world s children, with 51% of children in high-aggression environments saying they would like to be like the character, compared to 37% in low-aggression neighbourhoods. The Terminator seems to represent the characteristics that children think are necessary to cope with difficult situations, said the report. It also found that 26% of children consider action heroes as their role models, while pop stars and musicians serve as role models for 18.5%. However major gender differences appear: 30% of boys mention action heroes as role models, compared to 21% of girls. There are also important regional differences: 34% of Asians rank action heroes highest, as compared to 25% of Europeans and Canadians and 18% of Africans. Although the report observes that violent contents can encourage destructive attitudes and behaviour among children, it recognizes that centralized control and censorship would be neither efficient in correcting the problem, nor would they meet the criteria of democratic societies. Instead it proposes: -- increased public debate involving politicians, teachers and television producers; -- development of professional codes of conduct and self-discipline for producers; and -- innovative forms of media education to promote active and critical media consumption among the young. And the report predicts that with communication systems like the Internet, the media will be even more omnipresent and universal in the near future, with these technologies demanding similar attention. Contact: C. Arnaldo, Chief, Free Flow of Information and Communication Research, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 42 40, fax +33-1/45 68 57 55, e-mail . GLOBAL MEETING OF GENERATIONS A Global Meeting of Generations, Vision and Action for Equitable Development in the 21st Century will be held from 13-15 January 1999 in Washington DC. The meeting, sponsored by a coalition of organizations, has evolved from a collective concern to establish a new vision of inclusiveness and a new social contract between generations that recognizes the initiatives and abilities of youth and the aged for development. Sponsoring organizations include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Inter-American Development Bank, International Association of Students in Economics and Management (AIESEC), Ashoka, International Development Conference, International Federation on Ageing, Overseas Development Network, and Youth for Development Cooperation. The meeting programme will be organized around ten issues: -- family, gender and community; -- work, employment and income; -- demographics and life; -- governance and participation; -- environment; -- knowledge and technology; -- values and ethics; -- international development cooperation and finance; -- human security and peace; and -- development education and communication. The programme is being organized by Dr. Inge Kaul, Director of the Office of Development Studies at the UN Development Programme. Contact: Global Meeting of Generations, c/o International Development Conference, Suite 720, 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009-5728, United States, telephone +1-202/884 8580, fax +1-202/884 8499, web site (http://www.idc.org/gmg). NGO NEWS CARNEGIE REPORT ON PREVENTING DEADLY CONFLICT A forum on the theme of the centrality of the United Nations to prevention and the centrality of prevention to the United Nations was held at UN headquarters in New York on 5 February to coincide with the release of a final report by the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict. The forum consisted of two sessions: The United Nations in Operational Prevention, chaired by former US Deputy Secretary of State John Whitehead, and The United Nations in Structural Prevention, chaired by Olara A. Otunnu, International Peace Academy President and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict. The Carnegie Commission, an international group of 16 eminent persons, was established in 1994. Co-chaired by former US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Carnegie Corporation President Emeritus David Hamburg, it is assisted by an international advisory council, expert consultants and experienced practitioners. The commission has formulated a number of recommendations designed to help strengthen UN effectiveness, including mechanisms to help transform early warnings into prompt and effective responses, and to improve its use of economic and political sanctions and incentives to influence potential belligerents. The commission s report, entitled Preventing Deadly Conflict, analyses the current state of violent conflict in the world and lays out the commission s vision of an international system of conflict prevention. The report outlines practical measures to prevent deadly conflict that can be used by governments, international organizations and the private sector. And for situations that have become dangerous, it describes options for early action to prevent mass violence. Contact: Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 715, Washington DC 20036-2103, United States, telephone +1-202/332 7900, fax +1-202/332 1919, e-mail . BICYCLE TOUR FOR LOCAL AGENDA 21 The Centre for Peace Action, a citizen-youth organization focusing on environment, development, human rights and social justice issues, is planning a 3000-mile bicycle tour in May across India. The tour, which starts in the state of Tamil Nadu and ends in New Delhi on 5 June (World Environment Day), aims to help bring attention to Agenda 21, the global action plan agreed at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and especially local Agenda 21 plans. Most local authorities in India know nothing about local Agenda 21, said R. Arul, Director of the Centre for Peace Action. He said the centre is organizing the tour to encourage local authorities and NGOs to develop local Agenda 21 plans, call on governments at the state and national level to fully implement Agenda 21, and to teach the thousands of people the tour will meet about environmental issues. Bicyclists taking part in the tour plan to meet hundreds of local authorities and NGOs. Contact: Centre for Peace Action, Post Box 54, Chidambaram 608 001, Tamil Nadu, India. GENEVA WELCOME CENTRE FOR NGOS Mandate International, an NGO that promotes participation of non-governmental delegations in international conferences, has opened a Welcome Centre for Non-Governmental Organizations and Delegations in Geneva. The centre, located 13 minutes by bus from the United Nations Office, opened with support from, among others, the Swiss government. It provides low-cost accommodation and meals for NGO delegates, with a sliding scale for those from developing countries or representing indigenous peoples. The centre contains a conference room, computers with Internet access and a fax machine, and it provides orientation and information services along with documentation on international law and policies in English, French and Spanish. Mandate International is inviting Geneva residents to join in its effort through a network of bed and breakfasts. By providing support to delegates with low resources, said S‚bastien Ziegler, President of Mandate International, we hope to establish equality in the relationship and in representation between the North and the South so that Geneva may be one step closer to establishing a true democratic forum accessible to all of the international community. Contact: Mandate International, 31 chemin William Rappard, CH-1293 Bellevue, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/959 8855, fax +41-22/959 8851, e-mail . COALITION CALLS FOR US HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT A coalition of 13 United States-based human and civil rights groups has called on President Bill Clinton s administration to compile and publish an annual report on the state of human rights in the country. In a letter to President Clinton the coalition, which includes the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International USA, notes that the growing recognition and authority of the US State Department s country reports on human rights has drawn attention to the lack of a similar assessment of human rights practices in the United States. The State Department s annual reports assess human rights in other countries around the world. The letter, which recalls that the US took a leading role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, says the proposed report would demonstrate the government s commitment in practice to international human rights norms. Such a report, according to the coalition, would enable the American public to gauge compliance with international human rights treaties ratified by the United States. The letter also suggests that the proposed report should not only cite legal protections in these areas but also seek an honest appraisal of how, in practice, rights are protected. Contact: Allyson Collins, Human Rights Watch, 1522 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington DC 20005, United States, telephone +1-202/371 6599, fax +1-202/371 0124. LONG MARCH AGAINST CHILD LABOUR BEGINS On 17 January in Manila (Philippines) about 15,000 children and child rights activists kicked off a Global March Against Child Labour to focus public attention on the 250 million children worldwide who are forced to work for their survival. The march, backed by about 1000 organizations spread across 99 countries, is a combined programme of long international walks and coordinated local events. About 50 core marchers flew from Manila to Vietnam before departing to Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. Eventually their course will take them to Iran and Turkey, after which they will begin their final stretch across Europe. The group is expected to reach Geneva (Switzerland) on 1 June 1998, when the International Labour Office meets to draft a new convention on child labour (see Go Between 67). Contact: Global March Against Child Labour, South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude, L-6 Kalkaji, New Delhi 10019, India, telephone +91-11/622 4899 or 647 5481, fax +91-11/623 6818 or 621 8210, e-mail or , web site (http://www.globalmarch.org). AFRICAN NGO HABITAT CAUCUS MEETS On 23-25 March the African NGO Habitat Caucus (Africaucus) held a Post-Habitat African NGO Workshop in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). The workshop aimed to provide African NGOs with a new opportunity to strengthen their inputs and contribution to the implementation process of the Habitat Agenda, the global plan of action adopted in 1996 by Habitat II (see NGLS Roundup, September 1996). Among other things, the workshop focused on assessing progress and sharing information about Habitat-related initiatives undertaken by African NGOs and others, and reviewing post-Habitat initiatives in Africa. Africaucus, a continent-wide group including NGO activists and urban researchers, held the workshop less than two months after the first African Local Government Summit, known as Africity 98, which took place in Abidjan (C“te d Ivoire). Africity 98 examined the crucial role local authorities play in the management of human settlements. Contact: Africaucus/Codura, care of ENDA-ECOPOP, 10 boulevard du Canal IV, BP 3370 Dakar, Senegal, telephone +221/825 3200, fax +221/825 3232, e-mail or Africity 98, care of J.-P. Elong M Bassi, Municipal Development Programme, 01 BoŒte postale 3445, Cotonou, Benin, telephone +229/300560, fax +229/301976, e-mail . IN DEDICATION TO BELLA ABZUG Bella Abzug, a giant presence in the international women s movement, died on 31 March in New York of pneumonia. She was born in 1920, the year women in the United States won the right to vote. She was known for her fiery and fearless oratory and for speaking from the heart. Following three terms as a US Congresswoman from 1971-1977, Ms. Abzug became a nationally-renowned leader in both the women s movement and anti-war movement. She went on to become an international fighter for women s human rights, taking the lead in confronting global problems of poverty, discrimination, armed conflicts and environmental decay. In November 1991 she was the driving force behind the convening of a World Women s Congress for a Healthy Planet. About 1500 women from 83 countries came to the conference, held in Miami (Florida), to work on a Women s Agenda 21, a shadow document to the official programme of action later agreed at the Earth Summit. Out of this experience came the US-based Women s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), an international advocacy and activist force that fights for the environment, for women s health and well-being, and to ensure that women are at the core of all international agendas. In a dedication to her, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Ms. Abzug worked tirelessly to give women and non-governmental organizations a voice at United Nations conferences and other world forums....So many people benefited from Ms. Abzug s fearlessness and vitality [and] from her constant pressure on governments and world leaders to make good their promises of equal rights. REGIONAL NEWS DEVELOPMENT AID HEADED FOR EXTINCTION? The international community s war on global poverty is faltering so badly that the flow of official aid to developing countries is in danger of drying up completely if current trends continue, according to the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF). On the eve of the 21st century, the prospects for children are growing increasingly alarming, said Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director. She referred to a report by the 21-nation Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as latest evidence that the industrialized countries are lagging far behind in their commitment to help developing nations eradicate poverty. The DAC report confirms earlier findings that official development assistance (ODA) has tumbled to its lowest levels ever. It also points to increasing volatility in year-to-year ODA disbursements a trend that will also make it that much harder to achieve anti-poverty goals, especially on behalf of children. The report says that official development assistance from DAC member countries totalled US$55 billion in 1996 a 6% decline over the year before. Overall, ODA in real terms has fallen 16% since 1992. As a share of the combined donors gross national product (GNP), official development assistance fell to 0.25% in 1996 the lowest level since the United Nations set an ODA target of 0.7% of GNP in 1970. Children already bear a disproportionate burden of poverty, said Ms. Bellamy, a fact underlined by the needless deaths of 12 million young children every year from causes that, in a US$28 trillion world economy, could be prevented at a relatively modest cost. If the world can ride at a full gallop to the economic rescue of East Asia, there is no reason why we cannot do the same for the 1.3 billion people half of them children who are struggling to survive on the equivalent of less than a dollar a day. Ms. Bellamy added that under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most universally-embraced human rights instrument in history, children have a fundamental right to the fulfilment of their basic needs. Statistics also show that the proportion of official development assistance allocated to the least-developed countries and other low-income countries has not increased in recent years indeed, their share of ODA has tended to decline. This is a pity, observed Ms. Bellamy, since increasing numbers of developing countries are moving to institute the kinds of economic and political reforms that industrialized countries have sought as a condition for meeting the 0.7% ODA target. If developing countries can live up to their side of the bargain, donor countries have an obligation to reciprocate, she said. Unfortunately, quite the opposite seems to be happening. UNICEF s analysis shows that if the current rate of decline persists, official development assistance will literally vanish by the year 2015. UNICEF also says that if all donor countries had met the UN target of earmarking 0.7% of their GNP for development aid, ODA would exceed its current levels by US$100 billion a year an amount that over ten years would be more than enough to ensure universal access to basic social services, including health and nutrition, education, and low-cost water supplies and sanitation. Ms. Bellamy said she held out little hope that private sector funding and investment could significantly offset the decline of ODA. It is true that even as ODA has fallen, private capital flows to the developing world have nearly quintupled, she said. But private money seldom finds its ways to the countries that need it the most and in those poor countries it does reach, it is rarely used for such basic services as health care or education. DAC AID REVIEW OF SPAIN The Spanish government is making significant efforts to consolidate a political framework for development cooperation and improve the quality and transparency of its aid, according to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). At a review on 10 February of Spain s aid policies and programmes, the committee said it welcomed Spain s positive initiatives, including a draft law on development cooperation currently under discussion in Parliament, introduction of new planning and evaluation systems for managing aid and, despite severe budgetary constraints, an envisaged increase in the aid budget. The committee took note of a major improvement in the balance of Spain s development cooperation, with a significant increase in the grant aid programme and decentralized aid provided by regions and municipalities. While acknowledging Spain s present economic and social constraints, the committee invited Spain to consider additional untying of aid, especially to the least developed countries. In 1996 net disbursements of official development assistance (ODA) stood at US$1.25 billion, or 0.22% of gross national product (GNP), down from US$1.35 billion or 0.24% of GNP in 1995. The committee said it hoped the strong motivation among Spanish public opinion and parliamentarians for more and better development aid could provide a foundation for an increasing aid budget. The committee was also interested in aid programmes of Spain s autonomous regions, municipalities and other local bodies; some devote 0.7% or more of their budgets to development assistance activities. Such decentralized cooperation, which has grown substantially in recent years, now exceeds 10% of Spanish net ODA disbursements. The committee said that the decentralized dimension of the Spanish aid effort, founded on strong interest in development cooperation at the regional and local levels, could serve as a model for other DAC members. Government subsidies to Spanish NGOs have also increased over recent years, reaching some US$87 million in 1996. The committee, which acknowledged this growing financial support for NGOs, suggested that Spain consider streamlining administration of the support by using multi-year framework agreements, block grants and other similar techniques now in use in other DAC member aid systems. Contact: Peer Review and Policy Monitoring Division, OECD, 2 rue Andr‚-Pascal, F-75775 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/ 45 24 90 00, fax +33-1/45 24 16 23. CONFERENCE ON GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA An Africa-Wide Conference on Governance in Africa, held at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) headquarters in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) from 2-6 March, focused on how to strengthen governing institutions in Africa and maintain a balance between them in order to create appropriate foundations for good governance. At the conference, jointly sponsored by ECA and the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), a high-level roundtable was followed by a workshop with 50 participants invited in their personal capacity from government, and private and civil society sectors. The workshop examined ways to strengthen the rule of law in African societies, and the role of civil society in that context. Participants were asked to translate their dialogue into an action-oriented agenda of implementable strategies and initiatives. A working group was also convened on improving the capacity of the public service sector to make it more effective in meeting the needs of people and conducting primary government functions in a more cost-efficient way. The conference recommendations and a summary of discussions will be forwarded to several upcoming meetings, including a subregional meeting on governance organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to be held in Ghana in June, and the Second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (see page 8). Contact: Director, Division of Governance, Public Administration and Finance, UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs, Room 1228, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/963 5859 or Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Africa Hall, PO Box 3301, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, telephone +251-1/517200, fax +251-1/514416. FOCUS IFAD MARKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY AT ANNUAL GOVERNING COUNCIL SESSION The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which observes its 20th anniversary this year, has ended its 21st annual Governing Council meeting in Rome with a renewed focus on efficiently maintaining a leading role in alleviating rural poverty. Go Between summarizes some of the council s conclusions and gives a brief overview of recent IFAD activities and its mandate and approach. At the heart of IFAD s approach is a conviction that the key to successful policy alleviation lies in giving the poor opportunities to help themselves, rather than treating them as recipients of charity. This was the main message delivered by IFAD President Fawzi Al-Sultan at the opening of the two-day governing council session on 11 February. Global Mechanism of the Desertification Convention The governing council gave its wholehearted approval to the selection of IFAD to house the Global Mechanism, part of the International Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD). The convention s aim, which entered into force in December 1996 and has been ratified by 115 countries, is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought and desertification, particularly in Africa, through partnerships between grassroots organizations, national governments, NGOs and multilateral agencies. The functions of the Global Mechanism were elaborated by the convention s first Conference of Parties (COP) held in Rome on 29 September to 10 October 1997, which selected IFAD to house the mechanism. The COP also put in place a collaborative institutional arrangement between IFAD, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank in support of the mechanism s functioning. While having a separate identity within IFAD, the mechanism will be an organic part of the organizational structure, directly under the president. The operations of the Global Mechanism are scheduled to begin soon. Its five functions and 26 different tasks will be grouped into two programme areas: knowledge and resource mobilization and channeling; and information and advisory services on finance. The operational strategy of the mechanism will be articulated in the course of a two-year preliminary development and testing phase. Its administrative and operational costs during the first year are expected to be covered through voluntary contributions; however from 1999 onwards, the COP has earmarked US$1 million for this purpose. IFAD Establishes Two New Funds Among other things, the 20th session of the IFAD governing council also established two funds: one for countries crippled by debt for reasons beyond their control, and another to provide financial assistance for projects in the West Bank and Gaza. The first, known as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Debt Initiative (see Go Between 60) Trust Fund, is a mechanism by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assist poor countries to reduce their debt burden. The trust fund, to which IFAD is contributing about US$60 million, will also be open for contributions from other institutions and countries. The second initiative, the Fund for Gaza and the West Bank (FGWB), will provide assistance to local projects through the Palestine Liberation Organisation, acting on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. The FGWB, to which IFAD is providing US$25 million, will initially support a three-year programme of projects aimed at alleviating poverty in the area. IFAD Mandate and Approach IFAD, set up following the 1974 World Food Conference, was given a mandate of combating hunger and rural poverty in the low income, food-deficit countries by providing loans and grants to increase food production and improve nutrition levels of the poorest people. Donors include Japan, Germany and the United States, the three biggest contributors to the fund s fourth and most recent replenishment. Between 1978 and 1997 IFAD directly benefited about 200 million of the world s poorest people by committing over US$5.7 billion in loans to 489 projects in 111 developing countries under its Regular Programme and Special Programme for Africa. The total cost of these projects was about US$17.5 billion, which includes substantial contributions by external co-financiers and governments of recipient countries. During the same period, the fund extended 1099 Research and Technical Assistance Grants amounting to nearly US$300 million. About one-fourth of these grants were in support of 270 research and training programmes, while the rest supported environmental studies, project-related activities and NGO programmes. IFAD gives high priority to the development of strategic partnerships among civil society and intergovernmental organizations. One of these is the Popular Coalition to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty, established by the 1995 Conference on Hunger and Poverty, held in Brussels (Belgium). Participants in the coalition include IFAD, the European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), the World Bank and a broad range of regional, national and sectoral NGOs. The coalition s major initiatives are two Knowledge Networks: one focuses on negotiated land reform in four countries, and the other focuses on civil society initiatives in land reform and tenurial security in 25 countries. Exchanging Experiences and Providing Lessons IFAD has recently set up an experimental web site (http://www.ifadeval.org) to provide lessons learned from various IFAD-financed projects in poverty alleviation, credit, women s empowerment, the environment and other issues. Development experts, NGOs and partners can discuss issues and findings on the site. IFAD s Office of Evaluation and Studies has also developed a specialized evaluation discussion forum, namely the Administrative Committee on Coordination of the United Nations (ACC) Evaluation Knowledge Web (EVAK). It is open to members of the ACC s Network on Rural Development and Food Security. EVAK will provide an opportunity to multilateral, bilateral, governmental and non-governmental agencies and their staff involved in rural development and food security to exchange knowledge on selected topics based on evaluation, for country to country and from agency to agency (http://www.ifadeval.org/forum). Contact: Taysir Mustafa, Information and Media Relations Unit, IFAD, Via del Serafico 107, I-00142 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/54591, fax +39-6/504 3463, e-mail . UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON ILLICIT DRUGS The United Nations General Assembly will convene a special session devoted to the fight against illicit drugs from 8-10 June on the tenth anniversary of the 1988 United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The session, to be held in New York, will assess the international drug problem and develop a forward-looking strategy for the 21st century centred around the basic principle of a balanced approach between supply and demand reduction. Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) recently said, The special session should be a turning point for the world to go forward with renewed energy on drug control. There are many reasons for optimism in this regard: a politically more cooperative international climate devoid of East-West and North-South ideological divides; sophisticated technology such as satellite monitoring systems; and the accumulated knowledge of the international community in drug control activities. The Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the UN principal policy-making body on drug control, has acted during the last year as the preparatory body for the special session with open-ended deliberations allowing for the full participation of United Nations member states, specialized agencies and observers. At a final preparatory session held in Vienna (Austria) from 16-21 March, representatives from 130 governments agreed to a draft political declaration proposed for adoption at the special session. It sets out a comprehensive global strategy designed to tackle simultaneously all aspects of the drug problem, and it proposes a bold objective: a drastic, simultaneous reduction of both illicit supply and demand for drugs by the year 2008. The six main themes to be considered by the special session are the following. Control of Precursor Chemicals In recent years, the diversion of precursor chemicals used to manufacture illicit drugs has become one of the most serious challenges confronting international drug control efforts. To prevent it, countries have agreed to monitor domestic and international movements of certain chemicals. The General Assembly special session will promote concerted global action by adopting measures to further strengthen the control of precursor chemicals and by setting the year 2008 as the target date for a significant reduction of the diversion of precursors. Amphetamine-Type Stimulants Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are the most abused synthetic drugs manufactured clandestinely. Though relatively new, they have quickly become a part of the mainstream illicit drug culture. A wave of synthetic stimulant abuse has been reported in recent years, with a 16% average annual increase of quantity seized from 1978 to 1993. Today some 30 million people, or 0.5% of the global population, consume ATS worldwide. As global awareness of the problem is still limited and responses to it are heterogenous and inconsistent, the special session will call on governments to give high priority to ATS and will consider an Action Plan Against Manufacture, Trafficking and Abuse of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and Their Precursors. The political declaration sets 2003 as a target date for national level implementation of the plan, and 2008 for a significant reduction of the manufacturing, trafficking and abuse of amphetamine-type stimulants. Judicial Cooperation Strengthening the legal framework to improve application of drug control laws is essential for success in the global fight against illicit drugs. Member states are expected to enhance judicial and law enforcement cooperation by adopting measures concerning extradition, mutual legal assistance, transfer of proceedings, controlled delivery, illicit traffic by sea and other forms of cooperation and training. UNDCP says that without some form of inter-state cooperation in these areas, virtually none of the international treaty provisions against drug trafficking can be implemented. The political declaration sets 2003 as the target date for the promotion of judicial cooperation. Money Laundering The laundering of money derived from illicit drug trafficking and other serious crimes has expanded throughout the world and affects all countries. Member states will reaffirm their commitment to provisions of the 1988 convention concerning the seizure and confiscation of proceeds of drug crimes and set out principles upon which further anti-money laundering measures should be based. The political declaration sets 2003 as the target date for the adoption of appropriate national legislation. Drug Demand Reduction Reducing demand for drugs is a key element of the global drug control strategy. Member states have drafted the very first international agreement to counter drug abuse. The Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction, expected to be adopted at the special session, will be an essential tool to reduce the demand for drugs by 2008 as set for by the political declaration. Elimination of Illicit Crops and Alternative Development Significant successes were achieved in the last decade as alternative development programmes, complemented by law enforcement measures, succeeded in reducing illicit cultivation. The action plan that will be considered by the special session addresses the problem with a balanced approach, according to UNDCP. National drug crop elimination strategies should include comprehensive measures such as alternative development programmes, law enforcement and eradication. The creation of a supportive environment will be pursued through innovative programmes adapted to the specific legal, social, economic and cultural conditions prevalent in a given region. At the global level, the strengthening of international cooperation is essential to avoid the fragmentation that hampered past efforts. UNDCP is currently preparing, in consultation with governments and other international agencies, a series of initiatives including the establishment of a global system to monitor the extent of illicit cultivation. This global approach will be further developed to meet the challenge of eliminating or significantly reducing illicit cultivation of narcotic crops by the year 2008. Contact: Sandro Tucci, Senior Coordinator, External Relations Unit, UNDCP, PO Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/213450, fax +43-1/21345 5866, e-mail . WTO-NGO MEETING ON TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT Some 150 representatives of the international NGO and business communities participated in a Symposium of Non-Governmental Organisations on Trade, Environment and Sustainable Development, held 17-18 March in Geneva. The symposium, organized by the World Trade Organization (WTO), was also attended by other inter-governmental agencies and some 40 WTO member governments. The three major themes of the symposium were: institutional linkages related to the trade-environment-sustainable development nexus; analysis of the economic linkages between trade liberalization and the environment; and legal compatibility between international trade and environmental policies. At the opening session WTO Director-General Renato Ruggiero said a new consensus is emerging that trade liberalization and environmental protection are not only compatible goals they must be two sides of the same strategy to achieve sustainable development on a global scale. Rubens Ricupero, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), highlighted the increasing inequalities that have accompanied globalization. He noted that never in 50 years have the rich countries given so little in aid money. How can we say that we care for the environment, he asked, and yet deny [poorer] countries the resources and technology they need to achieve sustainable development? The new Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Klaus Topfer, stressed the importance UNEP plans to give to the trade-environment nexus. He observed that the environmental community is confronted with different time frames that are not based on economic trade-offs, but driven by indicators of rapid environmental degradation. As a first step, he said he will seek to harmonize the work of multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) secretariats, which presently operate separately without a common approach on the interface between trade and environment. Eimi Watanabe, Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), argued that the tensions underpinning sustainable development must not only be seen in terms of the environment. She said there is no automatic link between economic growth and human development, and she emphasized the necessity of equitable distribution of resources to achieve sustainable human development. Need for a New Framework Mr. Ruggiero stressed the need to establish some form of institutional framework to define the relationship between MEAs and WTO rules and avoid potential conflicts in the future. This proposal was explored further in discussions on the compatibility between these two bodies of international law. Mr. Ruggiero said that so far no conflicts had arisen between international trade and environmental regimes, but many participants argued that inconsistencies already exist. David Runnals of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) asserted that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the WTO agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) are set on a collision course. The United States representative on the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment said that there had been no perception in the committee of a clash between CBD and TRIPs, but he expressed interest in discussing the matter further with NGOs. James Cameron of the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD) said similar dangers exist in relation to implementation of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change (see E&D File, Vol. III, no.16, January 1998), which he described as not only a major environment treaty but the most significant economic agreement since the end of the Uruguay Round. It was suggested that rather than integrating the proposed framework to clarify such issues in the existing WTO Committee on Trade and Environment, a wider constituency should be involved, including other agencies such as UNEP. Mr. Runnals proposed this could take the form of a Standing Conference on Trade and Environment. "Win-Win" Linkages Participants also discussed mutually-beneficial outcomes in pursuing trade liberalization and environment/sustainable development agendas. Mr. Ruggiero underlined the need for continued efforts to reduce tariff escalation and tariff peaks if we want to relieve pressure on developing countries to specialize only in natural resource exploitation or environmentally sensitive activities. The question of subsidies in environmentally harmful activities (agriculture, fisheries and minerals extraction) was also mentioned repeatedly, although some emphasized that these should be distinguished from subsidies aimed at protecting environmental resources. Many participants stressed that possible "win-win" linkages should not divert attention from the very real tensions between the trade, environment and development agendas. For instance, some questioned the authority and legitimacy of the WTO dispute-settlement panel to make decisions that stretch far beyond trade issues, citing the recent hormone-fed beef dispute between the United States and the European Union. Others said current WTO rules do not allow for adequate protection of small- and medium-sized enterprises and local knowledge-based production processes from the economic clout of multinational companies. Future Agenda Participants welcomed the broad involvement of other official agencies, which brought their own perspectives on sustainable development, in a WTO event. They said they hoped such collaboration would be fostered in future WTO debates in this area, as had been the case in the WTO high level meeting on least developed countries in October 1997 (see Go Between 66). One of the most prominent issues that emerged in proposals for the future agenda was a need for greater public access to the work and documents of the WTO, including dispute settlement panels and future rounds of negotiations. One speaker argued that this is in the interests of the WTO if it wants to safeguard its legitimacy. Some also called for greater participation of other ministries in future trade negotiations, such as environment, labour or health ministries. They said that many cross-sectoral implications of the Uruguay Round agreement were not understood at the time the treaty was signed. Contact: Scott Vaughan, WTO Trade and Environment Division, Centre William Rappart, 154 rue de Lausanne, Case postale, CH-1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/739 5111, fax +41-22/739 5620, web site (http://www.wto.org). NGO PARTICIPATION I-- ALL AREAS OF UNITED NATIONS WORK On 28 January 1998 the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC (CONGO) held a consultation in New York on UN reform. A central focus of discussion was the UN General Assembly s consideration of participation of NGOs in all areas of the UN s work, which was recently taken up by the 52nd GA. Go Between summarizes viewpoints expressed on this issue during the CONGO consultation. Ambassador Ahmad Kamal (Pakistan) gave an overview of the General Assembly s consideration of the question of participation of NGOs in all areas of the work of the United Nations, and he said the results were unfortunately meagre. History of the Process He went on to recount the history of the process, beginning with an agreement reached in 1996 on arrangements for consultation with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). At that time, Ambassador Kamal noted, ECOSOC recommended that the General Assembly examine the question of participation of NGOs i-- all areas of the work of the UN, with the caveat that all areas would not be understood to extend beyond what the General Assembly itself is empowered to consider under Articles 10 and 12 of the UN Charter, except matters that are dealt with in the Security Council. This caveat was entered into the record to assuage the fears of one member state in particular (see NGLS Roundup, November 1996). However, Ambassador Kamal said, GA negotiations on this question soon proved that the devil is in the details. Governments were not able to define the scope of the exercise. Soon a division could be observed among governments that was deep and abiding, with vital national interests at stake on both sides. One side wanted to limit the General Assembly s examination solely to non-governmental organization participation in the assembly and its main committees; the other side insisted that all areas of the work of the U-- meant examining all bodies of the United Nations system. Other Points to Consider In a series of points he suggested non-governmental organizations consider, Ambassador Kamal said a better North/South balance in NGO representation at the United Nations is crucial. He also observed that there is concern among some governments that although more UN funding is channelled through NGOs many, in particular major international development NGOs, remain staffed by representatives from the North. Finally, he warned that many Southern NGOs do not perceive the relevance of the UN s work to their goals. Many Parts of UN Already Collaborating with NGOs Ross Hynes, who chaired the General Assembly negotiations on the participation of NGOs, commented on the 52nd GA s decision to call upon the UN Secretary-General to produce a report on current arrangements and practices with NGOs throughout the system, as well as legal and financial implications of any change in arrangements. Mr. Hynes, who encouraged the Secretary-General to give this report the priority attention it needs, said he thinks the SG s report will show that many parts of the UN system are already way ahead of the GA in their collaborative work with NGOs. Mr. Hynes said issues discussed in the negotiations included the extent to which the GA is empowered to tell other bodies how to relate to NGOs, the NGOs that should be brought into a relationship with the assembly, how to facilitate the participation of Southern NGOs, and the nature of access to be granted. On the central question of sovereignty, Mr. Hynes said the inter-governmental nature of the UN should not be changed. However he said the relevance and quality of intergovernmental decision-making was greatly improved by the presence of non-governmental organizations, which was clearly demonstrated in the recent major UN conferences. Techeste Ahderom, chair of the CONGO Task Force on UN Reform, and Dennis Frado of the Lutheran World Federation stressed the importance of NGO inputs into the Secretary-General s report. Mr. Frado suggested that non-governmental organization arrangements for participation in the General Assembly could be similar to those for the Economic and Social Council. Beatrice von Roemer of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions highlighted extensive NGO participation in the work of the General Assembly, which she said had been taking place for decades. As for the question of costs to the UN in providing documentation to NGOs, she asked, Do they think we have been doing this work all these years without documents? Bill Pace of the World Federalist Movement appealed to non-governmental organizations to bring the question of their UN relationship to national capitals. He also spoke of valuable NGO work already taking place in UN bodies. More Commitment to NGO Presence Needed Bella Abzug of the Women s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) mentioned the upcoming series of plus-five special sessions of the GA, which she said are of great importance to the thousands of NGOs that have attended UN conferences. However, she criticized what she described as an absence of clear government commitments to strong NGO presence at these events. Seth Winnock, a representative of the United States government, concurred with the need for NGOs to go to capitals. And by that I don t just mean Washington DC, he stated. He also appealed for an incremental approach in increasing access of NGOs and raising the comfort level of governments step-by-step. Ambassador Emilia Costa de Barish (Costa Rica) emphasized the importance of the report of the Secretary-General and said the process should involve many departments and agencies of the UN system. 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 . PREPARATIONS BEGIN FOR EVENT ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT The UN General Assembly has begun preparations for an event which could take the form of a summit, international conference, General Assembly special session or other intergovernmental forum on the topic of financing for development. Go Between summarizes discussions about, and preparations for the event, to be held no later than the year 2001. General Assembly resolution 52/179, adopted in December 1997, authorized the Second Committee to resume in order to hear the views of governments on key elements to address on the topic of financing for development, and on inputs that would be required from a broad range of stakeholders including actors both within and outside the United Nations system. On 19 March 1998 delegates of the GA s Second Committee (Economic and Financial) listed essential issues the event should address, ranging from official development assistance (ODA) to foreign direct investment and trade. It also identified possible sources of inputs to the process, including governments themselves; funds, programmes and agencies of the UN system; representatives of business and industry; NGOs; academics; and think-tanks. The inputs and reports requested by governments will be compiled by the UN Secretariat and submitted to the 53rd General Assembly, which opens in September 1998. An ad hoc, open-ended working group of the 53rd GA will be convened to undertake in-depth examination of the reports of the Secretary-General. The working group will make recommendations on the form, scope and agenda of the event, which will be taken up at the 54th UN General Assembly in 1999. Governments will then decide about convening the high-level forum on the financing of development. During the Second Committee session on 19 March, reconvened by Ambassador Oscar de Rojas (Venezuela), newly-appointed Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette spoke of the necessity to enhance the profile of the UN in economic and social spheres as a leading centre for development policy. She outlined three priorities for the initiative on financing for development: -- never lose sight of the real goal, namely to improve the lives of men, women and children throughout the world; -- keep the debate grounded in reality by addressing the challenges of a globalized financial and open trading system, rather than re-creating past confrontations; and -- focus on the most important aspects of financing for development, hard as it may be to reach agreement on identifying them. The atmosphere during the session was optimistic and almost exuberant. Studies have been commissioned, said the United States delegate, capitals have been put on alert; key partners outside the framework of the General Assembly have already been made aware of our endeavors and brought informally into the process. While differences in emphasis and views could be discerned among governments and groups of governments, in general the tone was upbeat and constructive. Proposed Series of Informal Briefings One of the first things governments requested was that the chair organize a series of informal briefings to maintain momentum while the Secretariat reports are being prepared. It would be advisable, said a representative of Indonesia, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 (G-77), that several briefings...be held in accordance with the key elements and topics indicated by the member countries. Many encouraged the Second Committee Bureau and UN Secretariat, in organizing the briefings, to take all possible advantage of the presence in New York of visiting experts during the coming months, keeping in mind the need for a balance between experts from developed and developing countries. A number of governments expressed the wish to be briefed by the Secretariat on an ongoing basis in the course of preparation of the reports. Possible Topics to be Addressed Many who spoke during the debate put forward lists of topics to be addressed by the proposed high-level event and of the players to be involved. Topics frequently mentioned included: -- official development assistance and the decline in available resources; -- foreign direct investment, including its skewed distribution among developing countries; -- short-term private capital flows, in particular their volatility; and -- the ongoing burden of indebtedness of many developing countries. Taxation was also mentioned as a possible topic, as well as trade and domestic policies for resource mobilization. A number of governments said they wished to address coordination of macroeconomic policies to create an enabling environment. Several suggested that recommendations of recent major UN conferences could provide a basis for assessing finance for development. Also called for was an assessment of the adequacy of governance of the international monetary system. Some countries, which stressed the need to learn from past experiences in development, emphasized attention not just to quantity, but to quality of financing and its uses. Involving a Wide Range of Actors Most governments called for a wide range of actors to be involved in the upcoming process, both from within and outside the UN system. Some called for input from representatives of the private sector, in addition to governments and UN system players, and most mentioned NGO involvement. According to the representative of India it would be useful to receive these inputs from a broad range of sources including governments, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, regional commissions, regional banks, academicians, NGOs, think tanks, business and industry. I think that you will agree that we have had an extraordinarily rich and significant debate, said Mr. de Rojas in summing up the meeting, and that the process which we have begun here marks an important moment in the history of the consideration of international economic issues at the United Nations. 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 . See also a new publication from UN Volunteers (UNV), entitled International Finance and Developing Countries in a Year of Crisis: 1997 Discussions at the United Nations, reviewed in the publications section on page 22. UN DEBATES MAINSTREAMING OF HUMAN RIGHTS The 54th session of the Commission on Human Rights, held in Geneva from 16 March to 24 April, coincided with commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the five-year review of follow-up to the 1994 World Conference on Human Rights. One of the main themes of this session s opening events centred on the mainstreaming of human rights across the UN system. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the commission by reaffirming the universality and pertinence of the human rights declaration 50 years after its adoption. He said the wave of support the declaration has received as a model for domestic constitutions, laws, policies and practices in so many countries is living proof that it speaks to a diverse world and has entered the collective consciousness. However, he warned that widespread human rights violations throughout the world are also testimony that the declaration has yet to serve as a common call for action. Mr. Annan insisted that the next century must be the age of prevention. Today s human rights violations, he said, are the causes of tomorrow s conflicts. Va‡lav Havel, President of the Czech Republic, said that as a politician he has been confronted with the recurring conflict between respect for human rights and the pursuit of political or economic interests. He argued that national leaders who decide that a little failure to observe human rights can bring large profits are deeply mistaken. He warned that a decline in human rights leads sooner or later to economic decline. Mary Robinson, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not a time for celebration. She reminded the commission that this decade has witnessed two genocides; rape is still used as a systematic weapon of war; torture, arbitrary executions and disappearances are common; and hundreds of millions of people live in extreme poverty. This is a failure of implementation on a scale which shames us all, she said. A Rights-Based Approach In line with the UN Secretary-General s reform plans, Ms. Robinson stressed the need to adopt and foster a rights-based approach across the spectrum of civil, cultural, economic, political and social domains. She called for an integrated approach in which human rights imperatives can and must be injected into every aspect of the UN s work. Ms. Robinson said her office is starting to work closely with agencies specialized in issues as diverse as population, health, education, women, refugees and economic development. She stressed that this effort must also include the Bretton Woods institutions. In this connection a separate forum, chaired by Mr. Annan and attended by senior UN officials, reviewed steps taken to mainstream human rights in the UN. Many observers noted that at this year s session, economic, social and cultural rights were given unprecedented attention. This was particularly noticeable in the various NGO and UN meetings held parallel to inter-governmental proceedings. For example at a roundtable on Setting Benchmarks for the Realization of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, held to address the special challenges of implementing this category of rights, Ms. Robinson said these should become a political priority. She observed that these rights are at the heart of the problem of implementing human rights norms if they are to be on a par with civil and political rights. At the same meeting Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, Director of the Human Development Report Office of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), said that both commitment measures and outcome measures are needed. She said a commitment benchmark is whether or not a government has signed and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In order to take account of countries different levels of economic development and resources, she suggested that one outcome measure could be based on the degree of equity achieved in removing deprivation. Ms. Fukuda-Parr proposed that UNDP s Poverty Index, which monitors countries ability to remove poverty relative to their income, could be used for this purpose. A need for benchmarks on governments international responsibilities was stressed by a representative of the Indian government, who said, The one international benchmark that exists [namely the 0.7% target for official development assistance] is not respected. Globalization and Human Rights On a related topic, the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and NGLS co-organized a seminar on Globalization, Income Distribution and Human Rights on 26 March in Geneva. Jos‚ Bengoa, Special Rapporteur to the human rights sub-commission on the relationship between income distribution and human rights (see report E/CN.4/Sub.2/1997/9), said liberalization policies in recent years have fostered economic growth, but have also led to rising inequalities and a decline in living standards in richer countries. He described this situation as socially explosive. Charles Gore, Technical Adviser at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said the analytical message of UNCTAD s 1997 Trade and Development Report (see NGLS Roundup, November 1997) is also that globalization is associated with rising income inequalities within and between nations. Mr. Gore argued such patterns are unlikely to be temporary adjustments to globalization. If left unchecked, they would represent more permanent features of the world economy and may cause various forms of political instability, including a potential backlash against globalization. Jacques Baudot, Special Adviser at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said managing the passage between human rights and social development is an intellectual challenge as well as an organizational and political one. He argued that the efficiency criteria of economic policies should aim to foster social cohesion and well-being, instead of considering these policies social consequences as side effects that can be remedied separately. A more detailed report on the ISHR/NGLS seminar and related NGO, United Nations and inter-governmental debates on economic, social and cultural rights during the commission will be presented in a NGLS Roundup that will accompany the next issue of Go Between. Contact: J. Nzoyihera, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 18 32, fax +41-22/917 0214, web site (http://www.unhchr.ch). PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE International Finance and Developing Countries in a Year of Crisis: 1997 Discussions at the United Nations As the financial crisis unfolded in Asia in 1997, the UN General Assembly hosted a series of lectures and discussions with prominent authorities on international finance and developing countries. This book contains articles by specialists and includes, among other things, the texts of several UN resolutions on finance. Available from: United Nations University Press, 53-70 Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan, fax +81-3/3406 7345, e-mail , web site (http://www.unu.edu). UN Children s Fund (UNICEF) Publications Starting from Zero: the Promotion and Protection of Children's Rights in Post-Genocide Rwanda, July 1994-December 1996 This publication reviews some of the main facets of international cooperation undertaken on behalf of children in Rwanda from July 1994 to December 1996. The study aims to contribute to development of a long-term policy on child-related issues as part of reconstruction, recovery and reconciliation in post-conflict situations using the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as both a guide for action and a tool for stimulating and facilitating that action. Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child This handbook is a practical tool for all those involved in implementing the principles and provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and realizing the human rights of children. Under each article of the convention, the handbook records and analyzes the interpretation by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The handbook adds analysis of relevant provisions in other international instruments, comments from other UN bodies and global conferences, and illustrative examples of implementation from around the world. Available from: UNICEF, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, fax +41-22/909 5907 or UNICEF, 3 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/326 7768. Environment and Development Terminology Bulletin This two-volume publication lists environment and development terms in the six United Nations official languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. The volume is designed to ensure the use of correct titles and nomenclature on new concepts, as well as facilitate understanding and direct contact among the international and research communities. Available from: UN Publications, 2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-853, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/963 3489, e-mail or UN Publications, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, fax +41-22/917 0027, e-mail . Gender and Urban Social Movements: Women's Community Responses to Restructuring and Urban Poverty This paper from the UN Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) draws on three sets of case studies that describe how women s organizations have confronted pressing social problems and have become the providers of essential community services in many cases. The paper also points out that decentralization of political and administrative functions to the local level does not necessarily result in the empowerment of women. In fact, the opposite may happen if decentralization creates new structures of local decision-making that are controlled by men. Available from: UNRISD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, fax +41-22/740 0791. Questioning Empowerment: Working with Women in Honduras This book examines the concept of empowerment and the many ways in which power can be expressed in personal relationships and in wider social interactions. The publication, which focuses on two development projects in Honduras, compares their approaches and assesses the extent to which the women involved were empowered as a result of their experiences. Available from: Oxfam, c/o BEBC, PO Box 1496, Parkstone, Dorset BH12 3YD, United Kingdom or Humanities Press, 165 1st Avenue, Atlantic Highland NJ 07716-1289, United States. International Humanitarian Law and Protection This is a report of a workshop held by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and NGOs to discuss issues relating to international law, particularly humanitarian and human rights law. Available from: ICRC, 19 avenue de la Paix, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland, fax +41-22/734 3062. Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules: A Worldwide Report on Violations of the WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes This report surveys marketing practices of the main producers of infant formula and other breastmilk substitutes. Although most producers claim to abide by the International Code of Breastmilk Substitutes, the report presents compelling evidence from 31 countries to the contrary. Available from: International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), PO Box 19, 10700 Penang, Malaysia, fax +60-4/657 7291. Beyond Prince and Merchant: Citizen Participation and the Rise of Civil Society This book highlights the historical roots of civil society, its diverse forms around the world, and some of its new frontiers. The publication also explores the challenges confronting civil society and provides examples of how these are being met. Available from: Pact Publications, 777 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States. The Border Betrayed: NAFTA's Broken Promises The Environment and the Health Decline in NAFTA s First Two Years In this book Red Mexicana de Acci¢n Frente al Libre Comercio (RMALC) and the US-based NGO Public Citizen assert there is a decline in health and environmental conditions along the US-Mexico border, which the groups say is a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The conditions include increased water and air pollution, and illegal dumping of hazardous wastes. English and Spanish versions available from: Public Citizen Publications, 1600 20th Street NW, Washington DC 20009, United States, fax +1-202/547 7392, e-mail , web site (http://www.citizen.org/gtw/nafta/naftapg.html). Spanish version available from: Red Mexicana de Acci¢n Frente al Libre Comercio, Godard 20, Col. Guadalupe Victoria, CP 07790, Mexico DF, Mexico, fax +52-5/355 1177, e-mail , web site (http://www.laneta.apc.org/rmalc). REFWORLD CD-ROM This full-text database in CD-ROM format, produced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), contains over 17,000 in-depth reports and analyses on country situations. It includes UNHCR and UN documents; laws and regulations on asylum, nationality and citizenship from more than 150 countries; and worldwide refugee statistics. REFWORLD is updated every six months and is available on an annual subscription basis. Available from: Centre for Documentation and Research, UNHCR, Case postale 2500, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland, fax +41-22/739 7367, e-mail . ECLAC Bibliographic Data The bibliographic database of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is now available on Internet. The database can be accessed at http://www.eclac.cl or through the UN home page at http://www.un.org/depts/ Dignity in Labour Web Site This site aims to facilitate the activities of groups working for workers human and trade union rights in agricultural and industrial export sectors in Eastern Europe and the South. The site can be accessed at http://www.citinv.it/org/cnms Global Fund for Women Web Site The Global Fund for Women is an international grantmaking organization that focuses on women s rights and related issues such as literacy, domestic violence, economic autonomy and the international trafficking of women. The site contains news on these issues, the fund s programmes and links to other relevant sites. The web site can be accessed at http://www.igc.apc.org/gfw/ CALENDAR DISARMAMENT -- Conference on Disarmament 2nd part, 11 May-26 June, Geneva 3rd part, 27 July-9 September, Geneva ECOSOC/GENERAL ASSEMBLY -- Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Substantive session, 6-31 July, New York -- 53rd UN General Assembly, 8 September-December, New York Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations -- 1998 session 18-29 May, New York 22-26 June, New York FOOD SECURITY -- FAO 21st Regional Conference for Europe, 25-29 May, Tallinn -- Committee on World Food Security, 2-4 June, Rome HUMAN RIGHTS -- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 53rd session, 3-21 August, Geneva -- Human Rights Committee 63rd session, 13-31 July, Geneva 64th session, 19 October-6 November, Geneva -- Committee Against Torture, 21st session, 9-20 November, Geneva -- Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 19th session, 16 November-4 December, Geneva -- Commission on Human Rights, Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, Working Group on Indigenous Populations, 16th session, 27-31 July, Geneva -- Commission on Human Rights, Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, 50th session, 3-28 August, Geneva -- 18th Meeting of the States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 10 September, New York Rights of the Child -- Committee on the Rights of the Child 18th session, 18 May-5 June, Geneva 18th session pre-sessional working group, 8-12 June, Geneva 19th session, 21 September-9 October, Geneva 20th session pre-sessional working group, 12-16 October, Geneva INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT -- UN Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court, 15 June-17 July, Rome NARCOTIC DRUGS -- Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, European Region, 14-18 September, Vienna -- Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Asia and the Pacific Region, November (dates to be determined), Bangkok -- Special Session of the General Assembly Devoted to the Fight Against the Illicit Production, Sale, Demand, Traffic and Distribution of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and Related Activities, 8-10 June, New York SOCIAL ISSUES -- International Labour Office (ILO) General Conference, 86th session, 2-19 June, Geneva SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Climate Change Convention -- Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA) -- Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI) -- Ad Hoc Group on Article 13 -- Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate (AGBM) The above meetings will take place on the following dates: 2-12 June, Bonn 2-13 November, Buenos Aires -- Conference of the Parties, 4th session, 2-13 November, Buenos Aires Convention to Combat Desertification (ccd) -- Conference of Parties, 2nd session, 30 November-11 December, Senegal International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) -- International Conference on Early Warning for the Reduction of Natural Disasters, 7-11 September, Potsdam TRADE -- World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Meeting, 18-20 May, Geneva United