Go Between 69, May-July 1998 UN NEWS PREPCOM ON SOCIAL SUMMIT SPECIAL SESSION A preparatory committee for the UN General Assembly special session on implementation of Social Summit outcomes concluded its organizational session on 22 May by adopting eight decisions. These include objectives of the special session, to be held in the year 2000, issues to be addressed, mobilization of voluntary resources, and coordination with the Commission for Social Development. The committee decided that its main objectives will be to: reaffirm the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action and not renegotiate them; identify progress made and constraints, as well as lessons learned, in implementation of Social Summit commitments at national, regional and international levels; and recommend actions and initiatives to further efforts toward their full and effective implementation. Concerning issues to be addressed by the special session, the committee requested the UN Secretary-General to submit to its first substantive session a report on implementation. The SG was also asked to provide the committee and the special session with an assessment of global trends in the Report on the World Social Situation, to be issued in time for the committee's second session, as well as an assessment of the overall level of implementation of the Social Summit provisions. The committee decided, among other things, to open its work to participation of NGOs in accordance with previous Economic and Social Council resolutions and decisions. The committee deferred consideration of the modalities of NGO participation in the special session until its next session. Governments were encouraged to include representatives of civil society in their national preparatory processes, as well as in their delegations to the committee and the special session. The committee decided to hold its first and second substantive sessions in New York from 17-28 May 1999 and 3-14 April 2000, respectively. It also adopted a provisional agenda for its first substantive session; decided on its work for the intersessional period; and took note of Switzerland's offer to convene the special session in Geneva. The GA will decide on the venue and date of the special session during its 53rd session in 1998. (For more information about the special session see NGLS Roundup, April 1998.) Contact: Yao N'Goran, NGO Liaison Officer, Division of Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Room DC2-1360, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 3175, fax +1-212/963 3062, e-mail , web site (http://www.un.org/esa/socdev). UNHCR APPEAL AND SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING In May, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Sadako Ogata issued an urgent appeal for funds, warning that the organization may not be able to continue caring for the world's refugees if contributions remain scarce and unpredictable. Contributions to UNHCR's programmes so far this year comprise only about half of its US$1.1 billion budget. "UNHCR depends almost entirely on voluntary contributions to finance its activities, but the resources available to us have become increasingly scarce and unpredictable," said Ms. Ogata. The number of people of concern to UNHCR refugees, returnees and displaced persons rose to a record 27 million in 1995. This rise was due to a succession of large-scale refugee movements caused by regional conflicts such as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Caucasus and the African Great Lakes region. There was also a surge in repatriation operations that became possible in the post cold-war period such as in Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mozambique. Today the number of people concerned has gone down to 22 million, which reflects the consolidation of solutions to refugee problems. UNHCR's budget, which peaked at US$1.4 billion in 1996, has also been declining. The organization says its serious difficulties in funding operations is threatening several key programmes. These include repatriation projects in Afghanistan, Angola, Liberia and the Great Lakes region, as well as UNHCR's ability to respond to unfolding emergencies. In order to help enhance the predictability of UNHCR funding, the organization has replaced its traditional practice of issuing separate appeals for the funding of individual programmes, except in the case of emergencies. It will now issue an annual global appeal in December for the next year's programmes. In April Ms. Ogata, who briefed the Security Council on refugee situations in the former Yugoslavia and Great Lakes region, also called on the international community to mobilize the same amount of resources and attention now devoted to solving conflict and post-conflict problems in the former Yugoslavia to similar situations in Africa. She said Africa needs "similar strong mobilization of support including military support, and galvanization of action" as in former Yugoslavia, to solve its refugee problems. Ms. Ogata, who noted that in former Yugoslavia there are still 1.8 million displaced persons, said the return of minorities is key to resolving the problem. Unless their return is promoted there will be no peace and stability in the region. In the Great Lakes region she underlined the importance of urgently addressing the problem of refugees who have been mixed with combatants, criminals and those who committed genocide. Ms. Ogata said a separation mechanism should be set up, which has also been suggested by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. This might require using the police or military, she said, although the issue of what to do with criminals and combatants after they are separated would have to be worked out. WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY MEETS A week-long session of the World Health Assembly, marking the 50th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO), closed on 16 May in Geneva. Delegates from 191 member states elected Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway, for a five-year term as the organization's Director-General. Dr. Brundtland said the Secretariat's work will be grouped into four areas: building healthy communities and populations; combating ill health; external relations and cooperation with other UN agencies, the private sector, NGOs, donors and other stakeholders; and building sustainable health systems in member states. The assembly also adopted resolutions on a range of subjects including: noncommunicable disease prevention and control; emerging and other communicable diseases; antimicrobial resistance; ethical, scientific and social implications of cloning in human health; global elimination of blinding trachoma; health promotion; tuberculosis; elimination of transmission of Chagas disease; elimination of leprosy as a public health problem; and concerted public health action on antipersonnel mines. Contact: Christopher Powell, Public Relations, WHO, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 2888, fax +41-22/791 4858. FAO/WFP: INDONESIA FACES RECORD FOOD DEFICIT Indonesia will face a record food deficit as a result of reduced harvests, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP). A recent FAO/WFP mission to the country estimated that approximately 7.5 million poor people in 15 provinces may experience acute food shortages during the dry season. The food deficit coincides with Indonesia's reduced ability to buy imported goods in the wake of the Asian financial crisis. Steep food price increases and rapidly growing unemployment are adding large numbers of people to those already living below the poverty line. FAO is now preparing a programme of possible assistance to poor farmers in drought-stricken areas with essential inputs for the upcoming crop season. For the medium-term, it is assisting in an agricultural sector review to identify structural bottlenecks that need to be addressed to avert food crises in the future. WFP is preparing targeted food assistance through food-for-work community development activities; nutritional support to pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children; and general relief of limited free food distribution. Contact: Erwin Northoff, Media Officer, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5705 3105, fax +39-6/5705 3699, e-mail or Francis Mwanza, Public Affairs Officer, WFP, Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, I-00148 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/6513 2623, fax +39-6/6513 2840, e-mail . IFAD BOARD APPROVES RURAL PROJECTS Over 277,000 poor rural families will benefit from eight new development projects approved by the 63rd session of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Executive Board, which ended on 23 April in Rome (Italy). IFAD will provide over US$97.5 million to finance the new projects. In the West Bank, the Participatory Natural Resource Management Programme will aim to increase incomes and living standards of small farmers by developing and managing land and water resources to conserve and enhance their productivity. In Syria, the Badia Rangeland Development Project will work to help re-establish the productive capacity of rangelands while introducing measures to protect the environment. For Asia and the Pacific region, the board approved three projects. In Bangladesh, the Aquaculture Development Project will focus on enabling poor fisherfolk to boost their production and incomes. The Kyrgystan Agricultural Support Services Project will include promotion of a participatory approach to technology transfer and training for farmers in improved production practices. In the Philippines, the Western Mindanao Community Initiatives Project will aim to improve nutritional standards and raise the income level of farm and fishing households. In Africa two projects were approved. The Microfinance and Marketing Project in Benin will focus on enabling families to gain access to relevant financial services. In Malawi, the Smallholder Flood Plains Development Programme will aim to improve household food security and incomes of vulnerable families in flood plains and provide basic infrastructure and health services. In Latin America and the Caribbean region, the board approved the Community-Initiated Agriculture and Resource Management Project in Belize, which will work to develop the productive potential of balanced and sustainable land use systems and ensure accessible support services to poor farming families. The IFAD board also approved five technical assistance grants of almost US$3.5 million for agricultural research and training programmes. UNESCO CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN EDUCATION At the close of the Seventh Conference of Ministers of Education of African Member States, held 20-24 April in Durban (South Africa), over 200 delegates adopted the Durban Statement of Commitment to shape education in the region "as the lead instrument in the fashioning of the African Renaissance." Participants, including 39 government ministers from across Africa, said the continent is at a crossroads in which education should play a decisive role in shaping the future. They noted that only 15 African countries have sufficient school places for all eligible children, while the gross enrolment ratio has actually dropped in 17 countries that contain over half of Africa's children. And among the adult population, Illiteracy rates are 33% for men and 54% for women. In their statement the ministers committed themselves to work toward a new vision for Africa where knowledge, democracy, respect for human rights and a culture of peace guide their actions. They also pledged to maintain a balance between proactive participation in globalization and the need to preserve and enhance positive aspects of African cultures, traditions, values and ways of life. To achieve these objectives the ministers committed to work in unison and establish, or strengthen, adequately funded pan-African mechanisms. They stressed the need to provide access to basic education for all, particularly girls and children of disadvantaged groups, through formal, non-formal and distance delivery systems. Noting that the gender gap remains a major issue, the ministers also undertook to provide for the safety and security of girls in school and to develop gender-sensitive teaching and learning methods. The conference was organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in cooperation with the UN Economic Commission of Africa and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Contact: M.M. Musa, Principal Officer, Africa Desk, Education Sector, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 09 64, fax +33-1/45 68 56 26 or Pai Obanya, Director and UNESCO Representative, UNESCO Dakar Office, 12 avenue Roume, BP 3311, Dakar, Senegal, telephone +221/823 5082, fax +221/823 8393. COP-4 TO BIODIVERSITY CONVENTION MEETS The fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-4) to the Convention on Biological Diversity concluded in Bratislava (Slovakia) on 15 May. The meeting, attended by over 1300 participants from 152 countries and the European Community, agreed on the need to complete a protocol on biosafety by February 1999. In 1996 governments launched talks on biosafety after recognizing that biotechnology can offer considerable benefits to human society while posing potential risks to the environment and human health. "The adoption of the biosafety protocol will demonstrate the practical impact that the Convention on Biological Diversity can have for all of us living on this planet," said Klaus T”pfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). "Both communities and businesses will benefit from a widely accepted system for minimizing the risks from transboundary movements of living modified organisms." Other decisions adopted at the meeting relate to the ongoing international programme on marine and coastal area ecosystems; the importance of traditional knowledge and indigenous peoples; equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources; development of a clearing house mechanism; cooperation with other treaties and intergovernmental processes; and incentives for conservation and sustainable use. The objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, signed at the 1992 Earth Summit by over 150 countries, are "the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources." The fifth round of talks of the COP will be held from 17-28 August. Contact: Secretariat to the Convention on Biological Diversity, World Trade Centre, 393 St. Jacques Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9, telephone +1-514/288 2220, fax +1-514/288 6588, e-mail , web site (http://www.biodiv.org). CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS HELD IN BONN A series of meetings held from 2-12 June in Bonn (Germany) has set the stage for finalizing details of the Kyoto Protocol (see E&D File, vol. III, no. 16). Some 1200 people participated in meetings of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation, and the Ad Hoc Group on Article 13. "While continuing to push forward with the vital work of implementing the convention itself, governments are also starting a new post-Kyoto cycle of negotiations," said Michael Zammit Cutajar, the convention's Executive Secretary. The meeting in Bonn "therefore focused on outlining their positions and exchanging views on how the Protocol should operate in practice. The coming months will witness many efforts to build political momentum so that significant decisions can be adopted by the Conference of the Parties next November in Buenos Aires." The Kyoto Protocol, adopted last December and so far signed by 40 parties, commits industrialized countries to cut their collective emissions of six greenhouse gases by some 5% by the period 2008-2012 compared to the year 1990. To help these countries reduce the costs of their emission reductions, the protocol includes a number of tools or mechanisms that promote flexibility and cooperation. The "rules of the game" for these mechanisms need to be agreed before the Protocol comes into force sometime after the year 2000. In particular, governments must continue to advance on operation details of the Clean Development Mechanism, which will enable industrialized countries to finance emissions-reduction projects in developing countries and receive credit for doing so. Rules are also needed for joint implementation, which will allow credits for investments in developed country projects, as well as for an international emissions trading regime. The regime will enable industrialized countries that reduce emissions beyond their agreed target to sell the excess emissions credits to others. Other issues discussed in Bonn were national communications that governments must submit under the convention, the development and transfer of technology, emissions inventories, education and public awareness, financial arrangements, a multilateral consultative process for assisting countries having difficulties meeting their commitments, and the calculation of emissions reductions from forests and other carbon sinks. Talks will continue at the Fourth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (COP-4), to be held in Buenos Aires from 2-13 November. Contact: UN Climate Change Secretariat, PO Box 260 124, D-53153 Bonn, Germany, telephone +49-228/815 1000, fax +49-228/815 1999, e-mail . FIRST GEF ASSEMBLY HELD At the first Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), held 1-3 April in New Delhi (India), over 1000 participants met to discuss the GEF and its overall performance. Among other things they focused on lessons learned; policies, operations and future development; the GEF trust fund; and a report on membership. The assembly, which brought together 119 GEF member governments and over 300 NGOs, endorsed a statement that sets out recommendations for the facility to fulfil its goals. The GEF, according to the statement, should ensure that activities are country-driven and strengthened to achieve country ownership of projects by basing them on national priorities; develop an outreach strategy targeting multiple constituencies; increase consultations with NGOs and local communities; and develop an action plan to strengthen county-level coordination. The statement also calls on the GEF to, among other things, streamline the project cycle; stress simplification and transparency; strengthen monitoring and evaluation functions; promote greater coordination with and co-financing by other funding sources as well as expand opportunities for execution of activities by others, particularly regional development banks and NGOs; and undertake long-term planning and multi-year support to maximize global environmental benefits. The next meeting of the GEF Council, which will be preceded by the regular NGO consultation, will be held on 14-16 October in Washington DC. Contact: Hutton G. Archer, Senior External Relations Coordinator, GEF Secretariat, Suite G6-150, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/458 7117, fax +1-202/522 3240, e-mail , web site (http://www.gefweb.org). UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION A special session of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council, held 20-22 May in Nairobi (Kenya), ended with governments backing reform proposals presented by UNEP Executive Director Klaus T”pfer. "We have come to an atmosphere of constructive cooperation, partnership and common responsibility," said Mr. T”pfer in a closing statement. "In this atmosphere, we must try our utmost to develop UNEP, to make this institution once again The Environmental Voice of the United Nations." At the meeting ministers and other senior government officials called for revitalization, reform and strengthening of the organization. The council's unanimous decision welcomed Mr. T”pfer's proposals for a UNEP structure reflecting new areas of concentration. These include environmental information, assessment and research, such as environmental emergency response capacity and strengthening of the early warning and assessment functions of UNEP; enhanced coordination of environmental conventions and development of environmental policy instruments; technology transfer and industry; freshwater; and support to Africa. The meeting also noted that further organizational reform must ensure a more rational, efficient and cost-effective functioning of the Secretariat as a whole. In this regard Mr. T”pfer said he hoped to reap an "environment dividend" from plans to streamline and rationalize UNEP administrative arrangements. He said that "savings of nearly 30% will be used to fund the programmes of UNEP, especially for strengthening the regional profile." The council, which underscored the importance of adequate and predictable funding for UNEP, called upon all governments to contribute according to their financial capabilities. Contact: Robert Bisset, Media and Communications Officer, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623084, fax +254-2/623692, e-mail , web site (http://www.unep.org). FAO AND IFAD SIGN DESERTIFICATION AGREEMENT On 29 May the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at assisting implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) in countries experiencing serious drought and desertification, particularly in Africa. The agreement will encourage cooperation related to sustainable dryland development including analytical work, organizing workshops, producing publications, and drawing up guidelines to help in the fight against desertification. The two organizations will also assist countries with action programmes aimed at combatting desertification, investment programmes, and with the technical review of CCD-related activities. In addition IFAD and FAO will prepare databases; geo-referenced maps and information systems at the local, national, regional and global level; and strengthen the capacity and participation of NGOs and rural organizations in connection with the CCD Action Programme. The two organizations will collaborate by drawing on FAO as a technical assistance agency and IFAD as a multilateral financing institution. IFAD was selected by the First Conference of Parties of the Convention to Combat Desertification, held at FAO headquarters in October 1997, to house a Global Mechanism to direct the process of mobilizing, channelling and allocating resources for the purpose of implementing action programmes and activities to combat desertification, and to mitigate the effects of drought in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Contact: Taysir Mustafa, Media Relations, IFAD, Via del Serafico 107, I-00142 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5459 2034, fax +39-6/5193 328 or John Riddle, Information Officer, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5705 3259, fax +39-6/5705 3699. WORLD BANK REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT FINANCE In 1997 private capital flows to developing countries continued to outpace official flows, reaching record levels before tumbling in the wake of the East Asia crisis, according to a World Bank report on Global Development Finance 1998. The annual report on debt and flows said that for the 12th year in a row private capital flows reached new heights, totalling US$256 billion last year, up from US$247 billion in 1996. Meanwhile, concessional aid to poor countries continued to decline. Net concessional assistance to developing countries fell from US$40 billion in 1996 to US$37 billion in 1997. "There is a real danger that [aid] is reaching such new lows that we will not be able to provide for the development needs of the world's poorest countries," said Masood Ahmed, World Bank Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management. "The crisis in Asia should not obscure the fact that few of the lowest income countries attract significant amounts of private capital. Most countries are perceived as being too risky by international investors. These countries rely almost exclusively on concessional finance, and the report highlights that the trend in aid continues to be strongly downwards. Donors should not lose sight of the fact that official aid is both a lifeline for these struggling nations as well as an investment in our shared future. We need to increase the availability of aid." Contact: Distribution, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/473 1155, fax +1-202/522 2627, e-mail , web site (http://www.worldbank.org). COTE D'IVOIRE DEBT RELIEF APPROVED The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have agreed to support a debt reduction package for C“te d'Ivoire under the Initiative for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). Total assistance to be provided to the country by all its external creditors is expected to reduce its external debt burden by US$345 million in Net Present Value (NPV) terms. This is estimated to translate into debt-service relief over time of close to US$800 million. The World Bank and IMF will provide assistance with a NPV of US$91 million and US$22.5 million, respectively. The completion point for delivery of the debt reduction package will be March 2001. "The reduced debt burden will contribute to C“te d'Ivoire realizing its economic and social objectives, achieving a significant reduction in its debt burden, and accelerating its progress in the fight against poverty," said Emmanuel Niamien N'Goran, the government's Minister of Economy and Finance. The HIPC Initiative is coordinated by the international financial community to reduce to sustainable levels the external debt burden of heavily indebted poor countries that pursue World Bank and IMF-supported adjustments and reform programmes, and for whom traditional debt relief mechanisms are insufficient. Contact: Axel van Trotsenburg, Manager, HIPC Program, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, telephone +1-202/473 6794, fax +1-202/522 3740 or Paul Falcone, Information Officer, IMF, 700 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20431, United States, telephone +1-202/623 6580, fax +1-202/623 6772. UN NGO NEWS UNAIDS AND NGO YOUTH CAMPAIGN UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, has launched a year-long initiative on Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign with Young People, which aims to promote the participation of young people in HIV prevention and care efforts; increase awareness of the devastating impact of HIV among them; and strengthen support for young people in their effort to fight AIDS. "HIV infection among young people is increasing at an alarming rate," said Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. While the rate of HIV among young people has fallen in some countries, a new UNAIDS report has found that overall children, and especially young people, still carry the heaviest burden of new infections. More than half of all new HIV infections acquired after infancy are among young people. Everyday 7000 young people worldwide acquire the virus, which translates into five young people every minute or 2.6 million infections each year. Together with its co-sponsors and partners, UNAIDS will work throughout the year to increase participation of young people in efforts to reduce the spread of HIV, including training and mobilizing them to educate peers and friends. The campaign will also seek to protect the human rights of young people as an essential element of all efforts to prevent the spread of HIV. When young people are denied their human rights, according to UNAIDS, they become especially vulnerable to the epidemic. Lack of education, sexual and economic pressures on young girls, and inadequate health care are some of the factors contributing to the rise of HIV among young people. The campaign is being led by UNAIDS and its co-sponsors: the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Bank. Partners in the campaign are Education International, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Rotary International, World Assembly of Youth, MTV International and the Association Fran‡ois-Xavier Bagnoud. Contact: Anne Winter, Manager, Communications and Public Information, UNAIDS, 10 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 4577, fax +41-22/791 4188, e-mail , web site (http://www.unaids.org). 1998 YEAR OF SAFE MOTHERHOOD Nearly 600,000 women, primarily in developing countries, die each year from childbirth-related illnesses and injuries, a vast majority of which could be prevented with affordable measures. Another 50 million women are injured as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, many of them severely and painfully. Simple measures ensuring safe motherhood would save lives and eliminate untold amounts of suffering throughout the world. For these reasons the Safe Motherhood Inter-Agency Group has launched a year-long awareness campaign calling on governments and people worldwide to commit to implementing measures to make motherhood safer. The group comprises the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), International Planned Parenthood Federation, and the Population Council. Family Care International serves as the Secretariat. The group says making motherhood safer requires more than good quality reproductive health services. Women must also be empowered and their human rights guaranteed, including the right to good quality services and information during and after pregnancy and childbirth. Among other things, the campaign is calling upon: -- international aid agencies to provide overseas assistance to programmes that promote maternal care as an essential component of reproductive health services; -- governments of developing countries to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity by developing and implementing health, nutrition and education programmes that promote the health of pregnant women and their infants; and -- corporations around the world to encourage governments and private organizations in host countries to provide funds and develop programmes that foster safe motherhood, and to support safe motherhood among their employees and customers. Contact: Family Care International, Suite 503, 588 Broadway, New York NY 10012, United States, telephone +1-212/941 5300, fax +1-212/941 5563, e-mail , web site (http://www.safemotherhood.org). AGING AND URBANIZATION CONFERENCE The number of people aged 60 and over is projected to increase by 240% between 1980 and 2020, and will total 1.4 billion by the year 2030. By the year 2001 over 50% of the world's population will live in urban areas with this number exceeding 70% by 2030, according to a conference on Aging and Urbanization: Challenges and Opportunities Towards a Community for All. The conference, which took place from 29-30 April at UN headquarters in New York, was held as part of preparations for the 1999 International Year of Older Persons. The conference provided an opportunity for experts from the fields of architecture, advertising, media, real estate development, technology, finance and health to discuss issues related to longevity and increased urbanization. The event launched a five-year series of interlinked congresses in cities around the world to examine the impact of longevity on cities and the roles of society, government and the private sector in advancing progressive models for sustainable communities. Speakers addressed issues including quality of life factors; changing images of older persons and the influence of advertising and the media; creative leadership; and successful public/private partnerships. The conference was organized by the UN Programme on Ageing and the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), in cooperation with the International Council for Caring Communities (ICCC). Contact: ICCC, 24 Central Park South, New York NY 10019, United States, fax +1-212/759 5893, e-mail . HABITAT AND ICA FORM PARTNERSHIP The UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) have decided to work together to improve housing conditions and develop sustainable human settlements worldwide. In a memorandum of understanding signed in March, the two organizations agreed to explore prospects for cooperation and to initiate joint activities including: -- information exchange; -- training and capacity building within the cooperative housing sector to increase knowledge generation and synergy; -- applied research and development of new approaches where cooperatives can more effectively contribute to housing and social services development; -- evaluation and monitoring of the status of contributions of the cooperative sector to housing and social services development; -- organization of thematic workshops at national, regional and global levels to address specific issues; and -- identification, documentation and dissemination of successful experiences and lessons learned in relevant fields. The focus of cooperation between Habitat and ICA in 1998-1999 will be on implementation of relevant elements of the Habitat work programme. In this context a joint action-oriented research project is being initiated to evaluate the status of the contribution of housing cooperatives in housing and social services development, and to seek ways for improving these roles. Contact: Christina Engfeldt, Chief, Information and External Relations, UNCHS (Habitat), PO Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623067, fax +254-2/624333, e-mail , web site (http//habitat.unchs.org/home.com). 14TH NORTH-SOUTH MEDIA ENCOUNTERS Nine awards were presented at the 14th North-South Media Encounters, an annual event in Geneva that honours the best television and documentary features on North-South relations and developing country issues. At this year's event, which focused on the Mediterranean, the Press and Democracy Award was dedicated to all Algerian journalists. Other winners were: -- Africa The Continent that Overslept (Danish Broadcasting Corporation, Denmark), Geneva International TV Award; -- Les enfants du Caire (TF1, France), French-Speaking Community Award; -- Tales from the Shore (VRT, Belgium), Pierre-Alain Donnier Award; -- Tahiry ou l'accŠs des femmes au cr‚dit (Television Malagasy, Madagascar), South-North Award; -- Maharadjah Burger vaches folles, vaches sacr‚es (Quark Productions, France), Independents Award; -- Les petites ombres d'Alger (5 Continents, France), Ebel Award; -- La nouvelle vie de Vanna (Troubadour Films, Switzerland), Wallis Award; and -- Classe d'accueil (Climage, Switzerland) and Les petites ombres d'Alger, Youth Award. The event, which is organized by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of Development Studies, NGLS, InfoSud Press Agency, T‚l‚vision Suisse-Romande and Fonction Cin‚ma, is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, among others. To submit entries for the 1999 competition, immediately contact: North-South Media Encounters, T‚l‚vision Suisse-Romande, PO Box 234, CH-1211 Geneva 8, Switzerland, fax +41-22/328 9410, e-mail , web site (http://www.unige.ch/iued/nordsud). NGO NEWS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE An International Meeting of Solidarity Between Women, held in Havana (Cuba) from 13-16 April, was sponsored by the Federation of Cuban Women, the Continental Front of Women and the International Democratic Federation of Women. Some 3000 participants from 79 countries attended the conference including professional women, social service workers, politicians, professors, and members of women's organizations and trade unions. Discussions focused on the impact of globalization on working people and its disproportionately adverse effects on women; and potential responses to worsening work conditions linked to international economic crises. Workshops addressed issues including economies and sustainable development; political participation and decision-making; health, education, culture and social security; media, violence and discrimination; and national independence, sovereignty and peace. Many speakers addressed the pressures on developing countries as a result of policies of the international financial institutions. Others spoke of rising unemployment resulting from the privatization of state-owned enterprises; the deterioration of health care particularly reproductive health services, public education and social security programmes as a result of cutbacks in social spending, and privatization of schools and hospitals; and efforts to achieve independence from occupying forces and colonial or "semi-colonial" rule. Many also expressed solidarity with Cuba in face of the continued US economic embargo. In a closing speech, Cuban President Fidel Castro highlighted what he called the devastating impact of market economies. He said any discussion of women's issues must start with consideration of underdevelopment, poverty and debt repayments, which he said are economically strangling the Third World. Contact: Federation of Cuban Women, fax +53-7/333019, e-mail or MADRE, 121 West 27th Street, New York NY 10001, United States, telephone +1-212/627 0444, fax +1-212/675 3704. PEOPLE'S SUMMIT HELD PARALLEL TO G-8 DISCUSSIONS Leaders of the world's eight major industrialized economies held their annual summit from 15-17 May in Birmingham (United Kingdom). In a communiqu‚ they said their discussions focused on, among other issues: -- "Achieving sustainable economic growth and development throughout the world in a way in which, while safeguarding the environment and promoting good governance, will enable developing countries to grow faster and reduce poverty, restore growth to emerging Asian economies, and sustain the liberalization of trade in goods and services and of investment in a stable international economy; -- Building lasting growth in our own economies in which all can participate, creating jobs and combating social exclusion; [and] -- Tackling drugs and transnational crime, which threaten to sap this growth, undermine the rule of law and damage the lives of individuals in all countries of the world." During the G-8 discussions, NGOs held their annual parallel event known as the People's Summit, which focused on the theme Beyond Growth Consumption and Wellbeing. Participants included representatives of some 200 development and environment organizations, and business and industry. The event, organized by Friends of the Earth, the New Economics Foundation and other groups, was held to "debate ecological, economic and social issues of global importance and to challenge the right of the G-8 countries to take decisions that affect the world," said Joanna Watson of Friends of the Earth. "This year's event seeks to demonstrate that achieving sustainable consumption is the central challenge in the transition to a just and sustainable society and to present practical and policy alternatives to the conventional economic thinking that underlies G-8 policy." Discussions in People's Summit seminars focused on three cross-cutting themes: -- failures of conventional models of economic growth in recognizing environmental limits and relieving inequity; -- the problem of global climate change, described as the most obvious and best understood consequence of unsustainable consumption of the world's environmental resources; and -- the need to shift the focus of official policy away from a narrow debate on "eco-efficiency" to a wider range of policy reforms in areas such as trade, food production and local economies. Participants also formed a human chain around the G-8 Summit venue to symbolize what they called "the chains of debt that must be broken in the poorer countries." Contact: The New Economics Foundation, 1st Floor, Vine Court, 112-116 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1JE, United Kingdom, telephone +44-121/551 1132, fax +44-121/515-3524, e-mail , web site (http://sosig.ac.uk/neweconomics/newecon.html). SUMMIT OF PEOPLES OF THE AMERICAS Over 800 civil society representatives participated in a Summit of the Peoples of the Americas, known as the Peoples' Summit, in Santiago (Chile) from 15-18 April. The Peoples' Summit ran parallel to the second governmental Summit of the Americas, which brought together heads of state from every country in the hemisphere (except Cuba) to "draw up a common agenda for the Western hemisphere in the 21st century" and formally launch negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The goal of establishing the FTAA by the year 2005 was set by the first governmental Summit of the Americas, held in 1994 in Miami (United States). In the interim trade ministers of the hemisphere have met annually to finish preparatory work paving the way for formal negotiations. Many NGOs and other civil society organizations critical of the Summit of the Americas and FTAA process have noted an absence of participation in the process by non-business sectors of civil society including parliamentarians, despite the fact that decisions made in the FTAA process will directly affect all sectors of society and the natural environment. Although denied access to the governmental negotiations, labour and environmental organizations, human rights and women's groups, small businesses, campesino (peasant) organizations and indigenous peoples' groups have been tracking the process, building coalitions to monitor trade agreements and economic integration, and proposing alternative development models. The Peoples' Summit focused on globalization; sustainable development; economic, social and cultural rights; and the impacts and implications of trade agreements. Participants warned that the FTAA agreement would promote "market liberalization without binding clauses to ensure improvements in labour, human rights and environmental standards." They discussed how to develop trade relationships that are based on democracy and equity, and that recognize the needs of the environment and society "beyond corporate boardrooms and military barracks." Participants concluded that any trade agreement reached by governments should be conditional on the ratification of a social, labour and environmental rights charter for civil society, which they said should include respect for ethnic minorities and women. The Peoples' Summit was sponsored by the Inter-American Regional Workers Organization (ORIT), the Chilean Unitary Workers Confederation (CUT-Chile) and the Chilean Network for an Initiative of the People (RECHIP), with support by others including groups in North America. FTAA negotiations will be held periodically in the United States from 1 May 1998 through 28 February 2001, in Panama from 1 March 2001 through 28 February 2003, and in Mexico from 1 March 2003 through 31 December 2004. The negotiations will be chaired by Canada, Argentina and Ecuador through 31 October 2002; and the US and Brazil will co-chair the process from 1 November 2002 through its proposed conclusion on 31 December 2004. Contact: RECHIP, Casilla 16784, Correo 9, Santiago, Chile, telephone +56-2/364 1738 or 364 1597, fax +56-2/364 1739, e-mail or , web site (http://members.tripod.com/~redchile). INTERACTION FORUM '98 InterAction, the United States-based international coalition of 160 development and humanitarian agencies, held its annual forum in Washington DC from 27-30 April. A record 500 people participated in the forum including NGO representatives from Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe, as well as representatives of the United Nations, US Congress, Clinton administration and media and business executives. A range of perspectives on international affairs was presented at plenary sessions throughout the forum. Speakers included Samuel Berger, Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs; Brian Atwood, Director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID); Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP); and Kate Fish, Director of Sustainable Development at Monsanto. Sergio Vieira de Mello, Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs, addressed InterAction's Disaster Response Committee (DRC) and thanked NGOs in the United States for what he described as their important role in advocating within the US for international action. Among other things, he noted the need to address the origins of humanitarian emergencies from a political and preventive perspective, and the increased attempts by participants in conflicts to pit humanitarian groups against one another. He called for capacity building among NGOs and urged them to continue to bring their perspectives to the UN Security Council's attention. Contact: InterAction, Suite 801, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036, United States, telephone +1-202/667 8227, fax +1-202/667 8236, web site (http://www.interaction.org). NGOS ORGANIZE TO ELIMINATE POPS The International Persistent Organic Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), a coalition of NGOs, held a public forum on 28 June in Montreal (Canada). Participants in the forum included scientists, activists, indigenous peoples representatives, local authorities and environmentalists. The forum was held just prior to the first formal international negotiating committee (INC) meeting to establish a global, legally binding convention to protect human health and the environment from harm caused by persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs, which are toxic substances composed of carbon-based chemical compounds and mixtures, are products and by-products of industry, particularly the pesticide industry. At the beginning of this century they were virtually non-existent in the environment and in food. However ordinary food supplies in most regions of the world are now contaminated by POPs. According to IPEN, every person alive today carries in their body some 250 chemicals that did not exist prior to 1945. Most of these synthetic chemicals remain untested for their safety, yet both people and wildlife carry "body burdens" of POPs at or near levels that IPEN says can cause injury to health and entire ecosystems. Damage caused to humans and other species by POPs is well documented and includes pathologies of cancer; neuro-behavioural impairment such as learning disorders and immune system disfunction; and lack of development in reproductive and endocrine systems. POPs have been associated with particular impacts on women, including increased incidence of breast cancer. The international negotiating committee, mentioned above, was created by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Assembly (WHO) to establish terms of a convention to seek to eliminate POPs in line with the 1995 Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities. The programme, adopted by experts and ministers from 110 countries, includes development of a "global legally binding instrument for the reduction and/or elimination of emissions, discharges, and where appropriate the manufacture and use" of 12 of the most persistent bioaccumulative organochlorine chemicals that have been found to pollute the marine environment. INC negotiators have been asked to mandate action on a shortlist of 12 persistent organic pollutants including dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDT. Negotiators are also seeking to develop criteria and a procedure to identify additional POPs as candidates for future binding global agreements. Although governments at the 1997 UNEP Governing Council meeting called for negotiations on POPs to conclude by the year 2000, many NGOs and other observers predict that the POPs convention will take longer, requiring possibly five negotiating sessions. Further delays are also expected during the time it takes for ratification and for the convention to enter into force. IPEN is therefore advocating that governments, intergovernmental organizations and others begin action to eliminate POPs now, before the legally binding mandates go into effect. Contacts: Sharyle Patton, Commonweal, Box 316, Bolinas CA 94924, United States, telephone +1-415/868 0970, fax +1-415/868 2230, e-mail . NGO CAMPAIGN AGAINST SMALL ARMS Of over one million people killed in conflict situations during the past decade, as many as 90% have been civilians and mainly women and children, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. In these conflicts, small arms are the principal cause of death. Encouraged by the success of the worldwide campaign to ban anti-personnel landmines (see Go Between 66), a coalition of NGOs active in the areas of development, humanitarian relief, disarmament, human rights and public health is forming to identify strategies to reduce the devastating impacts of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. A preparatory committee has established a web site to mobilize support for the campaign through the Internet. Membership in the committee is open to groups and individuals working in cooperation with, or representing, people affected by the spread and unlawful use of small arms and light weapons. According to the committee, one of the campaign's priorities will be greater transparency of small arms production and exports. Such information, it says, would greatly assist relief workers by serving as an early warning indicator for impending conflict. The committee says it will call for responsible national and international policies that would commit governments to ensure, among other things, that exports to governments not conforming to agreed practices are restrained. Another priority will be to alleviate problems connected with the proliferation, accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons, including the need for assistance to victims of violence and disruption associated with them. Other proposals include the destruction of surplus weaponry as part of UN-brokered peace processes to prevent arms being recycled to other conflicts. Contact: Preparatory Committee for a Global Campaign on the Spread and Unlawful Use of Small Arms and Light Weapons, 425 van Buren Street, Monterey CA 93940, United States, telephone +1-408/647 6676, fax +1-408/647 4199, e-mail , web site (http://www.prepcom.org). IN COMMON CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED The Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) has launched a country-wide In Common Campaign to build public and political will to end poverty around the world. The campaign is supported by over 100 civil society organizations, which say they refuse "to accept the belief that poverty is inevitable, or a result of scarce resources. What's scarce is the political will to confront the problem of poverty." The campaign, which stresses that the challenge is not simply to eradicate poverty but to "create the means and conditions whereby the dignity of all is upheld," has released a publication entitled What We Can Do: A 10-Point Agenda for Global Action Against Poverty. It outlines steps that individuals and governments can take to end poverty. These include: -- promote and accelerate implementation of commitments at the 1992 Earth Summit; -- pursue trade and investment agreements and regulation of financial flows that contribute to protection of the environment and reduce social inequalities; -- ensure that NGOs and governments fulfil gender equity commitments made at recent global UN conferences; -- promote sustainable food security as a basic human right in domestic agricultural and international development policy, and achieve the 1996 World Food Summit's seven-point Action Plan; and -- reverse the decline in Canadian foreign aid. Contact: Canadian Council for International Cooperation, Suite 300, 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 7B7, telephone +1-613/241 7007, fax +1-613/241 5302, e-mail . NATIONAL SUMMIT ON AFRICA The National Summit on Africa held its first of eight regional conferences from 6-10 May in Atlanta (United States). The summit process is an unprecedented effort to create a shared policy agenda to guide US relations with nations in Africa and to educate Americans about the continent. The process was launched in 1996 by Africare, a US-based NGO with field offices in 24 African countries. At the Atlanta conference, workshops and roundtable discussions focused on issues including economic development, trade, investment and job creation; democracy and human rights; sustainable development, quality of life and the environment; peace and security; and education and culture. The importance and cross-cutting nature of women's and youth issues were integrated in each discussion theme. The regional summit process will culminate in a five-day event in 1999 in Washington DC, which will bring together leaders from government, business, labour, education, media, donors, religious organizations and NGOs. Participants will aim to draft and endorse an agenda for action for US-Africa relations, to be used as an advocacy document to improve US government and private sector relations with Africa in the 21st century. Contact: Michael P. De Pass, The National Summit on Africa, 1218 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036, United States, telephone +1-202/861 8644, fax +1-202/861 8645, e-mail , web site (http://www.africasummit.org). NGOS CALL FOR DEBT JUBILEE IN 2000 A new report entitled Putting Life Before Debt, from International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE) and Caritas Internationalis, outlines debt relief measures advocated by the Debt Jubilee in 2000 Campaign (see Go Between 63). The measures advocated by the campaign, which calls for debt cancellation of the most impoverished countries by the year 2000, include: -- improvements to the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF); -- linking debt cancellation with investment in human development; -- ensuring that decisions on debt relief are made in a transparent manner; and -- establishing a fair process for negotiation between debtors and creditors. During a panel discussion on 7 May in New York, Venezuelan Ambassador to the UN Oscar de Rojas commended what he described as the campaign's firm grounding in values promoting the common good, social justice, responsibility and solidarity. He said the campaign is not demanding a "blanket forgiveness" of all government debt but an examination of it from a moral perspective establishing, for example, who incurred the debt, who profits and who is paying for it. When basic social services are cut in favour of debt repayment, he observed, it is the poorest who pay. During the panel Libran Cabactulan, Minister Counsellor at the Philippines Mission to the UN in New York, argued for an "automatic stand-still option" similar to some domestic bankruptcy laws, rather than outright repudiation of the debt. Under this option, he suggested repayment could be suspended while the debt is examined and restructured, and some loans could then be identified as priority for repayment. He urged NGOs to continue their advocacy work since governments will begin negotiations on financing for development at the end of 1998 (see focus page). Contact: CIDSE, 16 rue Stevin, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium, telephone +32-2/230 7722, fax +32-2/230 7082, web site (http://www.cidse.be) or Caritas Internationalis, 16 Piazza San Calisto, I-00153 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/6988 7197, fax +39-6/6988 7237. REGIONAL NEWS PEACEMAKING AND PEACEKEEPING IN AFRICA After over two years of intense deliberations, a joint task force of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and International Peace Academy has released a final report on key issues the OAU is recommended to address in enhancing its capacity for conflict management. The report says these include development of an effective early warning and policy analysis capacity to inform appropriate action, and a series of political and military instruments needed for this purpose. The task force was formed in August 1995 with the aim of developing a carefully considered set of options for enhancing the OAU's capacity to engage in peacemaking and peacekeeping activities in Africa. The effort particularly focused on helping to operationalize the OAU's new Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution. The mechanism, adopted by OAU member states in 1993, enabled the organization for the first time to take initiatives to prevent and manage conflicts both between and within African states. The report elaborates on the role and responsibilities of the OAU Secretary-General and the OAU Central Organ and the types of political initiatives the Secretary-General can take; current and prospective roles for the organization in peacekeeping activities; and the relationships that need to be built between the OAU and the United Nations on one hand, and the OAU and African sub-regional groupings and civil society on the other, in order to effectively divide responsibilities for conflict management efforts in Africa. Contact: International Peace Academy, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York NY 10017-3521, United States, telephone +1-212/687 4300, fax +1-212/983 8246, e-mail . ESCAP: MORE COOPERATION NEEDED The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has called for greater regional economic cooperation to safeguard against more economic turmoil there. Over 400 delegates at the commission's 54th annual session, which ended in Bangkok (Thailand) on 22 April, called for greater regional cooperation in order to develop human resources so that countries can avoid "using people as cheap labour to fuel Asia's growth machine." The commission, among other things, recommended policy options to prevent future recurrences of an economic crisis. These include: -- at the national level establishing an appropriate exchange rate regime, overcoming weakness of the domestic financial sector to reduce the volatility of large movements of short-term capital, and transparency and prudent supervision and regulation; -- at the regional level establishing mechanisms to exchange information, an early warning system, and comparative financing arrangements to supplement resources of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in time of need; and -- at the international level a framework of surveillance and supervision similar to that available in the area of trade. Contact: ESCAP, United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand, telephone +66-2/288 1234, fax +66-2/288 1000. ECA MEETING ON WOMEN AND DEVELOPMENT On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) held a conference in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) from 28 April-1 May entitled African Women and Economic Development: Investing in Our Future. The conference was organized in the context of ECA's mandate to follow-up implementation of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, which places priority on poverty reduction through economic empowerment of women. The conference, sponsored in partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and others, brought together heads of government, African policymakers from various sectors, donors and representatives of UN organizations and specialized agencies, African regional and subregional organizations, and civil society. It aimed to promote linkages between the goals of recent UN conferences; influence policymakers and secure their commitment to make fundamental changes for the empowerment of women in their countries; and build partnerships for development and implementation of strategic programmes. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his address to the conference said, "It can no longer come as a surprise to anyone including the men of Africa that gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance." Contact: Economic Commission for Africa, African Centre for Women (ACW), PO Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, telephone +251-1/518919, fax +251-1/512785, e-mail , web site (http://www.un.org/depts/eca/eca40th). DAC PEER REVIEW OF UNITED STATES AID At a recent peer review of United States aid policies and programmes, the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said it welcomed recent measures the country has taken to strengthen both political and public confidence in US foreign assistance programmes. The review said that after a period in which support declined and consensus weakened, the US has worked to link aid management reform to the establishment of clearer goals and stronger partnerships, as well as help build developing country capacity. "After serious international concern over recent years about a general trend of diminishing official development assistance (ODA) funding and staff resources in the United States' programme," concluded the review summary, "there are welcome first indications of strengthening budgets for aid to developing countries. This was also confirmed by US President Clinton's recent commitment to seek to increase the budget for African aid." Among points that emerged from the review, the committee said that a new strategic plan of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) aims at clear results through its support of developing and transitional countries' efforts to achieve sustained economic and social progress, and to share more fully in resolving global problems. The committee observed that in the multilateral system the US exercises its influence not only through large financial contributions but through its inputs in terms of policy and substance. "The US," said the review summary, "has accumulated substantial arrears both to the United Nations system and, until recent important progress was made, to the multilateral concessional financing facilities." The committee noted that constructive US leverage in its push to reform multilateral assistance programmes would be enhanced by the capacity to deliver on its international financial commitments. The committee, which noted that DAC members agree that the volume of aid resources remains vital for effective support of development, said the overall trend of US performance has been downward over the last decade both in total volume and as a share of gross national product (GNP). "At the same time the US public," said the summary, "does not realise that the United States has by far the lowest level of effort among DAC member countries, as shown by its ODA/GNP ratio, which was 0.12% in 1996." Citizens in the four highest performing DAC countries contributed about US$260 each in taxes for development cooperation in 1995-1996, while each US citizen contributed US$31. The average for citizens in all DAC member countries for ODA per capita was US$71, over twice the amount contributed by each US citizen. Contact: Art Fell, Peer Review and Policy Monitoring Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2 rue Andr‚-Pascal, F-75775 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 24 90 16, fax +33-1/45 24 16 23. FOCUS WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE CALLS FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY Amidst an unprecedented wave of international public demonstrations against current global economic policies and institutions, heads of state and trade ministers from around the world gathered in Geneva to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the multilateral trading system. The second ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), held on 18-20 May, broke new ground in calling for greater transparency of the WTO and recognizing the need to build public support for the multilateral trading system. In his address to the ministerial conference, United States President Bill Clinton praised what he perceived to be the economic benefits of globalization but added, "We must do more to make sure that this new economy lifts living standards around the world, and that spirited economic competition among nations never becomes a race to the bottom in environmental protections, consumer protections and labour standards." He suggested the WTO provide a forum where civil society concerns can be voiced and help guide the organization's evolution. "The WTO was created to lift the lives of ordinary citizens; it should listen to them," he said, adding that it "should take every feasible step to bring openness and accountability to its operations." He proposed that all WTO hearings be open to the public and all briefs by the parties to a dispute be made publicly available. South African President Nelson Mandela told the conference that "it would be unwise to ignore the increased frustration of ordinary people," and the European Union called for the introduction of measures "to improve transparency of the workings of the WTO, and greater engagement with representatives of the civil society." WTO Director-General Renato Ruggiero said the organization should improve its ability to respond to the interrelationships between trade and issues such as health, environmental protection, social conditions, employment and cultural diversity through what he termed "an improved global architecture." He said after the conference he would work on improving information and dialogue with civil society. In separate sessions at the ministerial conference, representatives of NGOs discussed proposals to improve transparency of the WTO and to set up an NGO accreditation system modelled on the UN's experience. Future Negotiations The ministerial conference did not reach consensus on future negotiations the European Union was in favour of a comprehensive "Millenium Round," while the United States preferred to take the speedier sector-by-sector approach along the lines of recent WTO negotiations on information technology, financial services and telecommunications. A representative of Brazil said sectoral negotiations, which tend to focus on high-tech sectors to the detriment of others such as agriculture, take away the bargaining power of developing countries. A representative of India argued that developed countries are pressing for the liberalization of new sectors before having honoured their commitments in others. And he said developing countries are still at the stage of absorbing the full implications of the Uruguay Round Agreements and "meeting the onerous notification requirements." At a parallel NGO briefing session at the ministerial conference, Martin Khor of the Third World Network said existing agreements (such as trade-related intellectual property rights, trade-related investment measures, and services agreements including financial services), do not just suffer from minor weaknesses; they contain fundamental flaws that could generate major social and economic crises because of the disruptions they would cause to local economies. He said NGOs should militate against any new agreements; examine existing ones to see how to change them or use possible loopholes and escape clauses to lessen their impact; and call for longer grace periods. Mr. Khor argued that the full impact of the crises have not been felt because many of these agreements are not yet implemented. NGO representatives, who also discussed implications of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) currently being negotiated in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), took a strong stance against the possible inclusion of MAI-type negotiations in the World Trade Organization. Electronic Commerce At the initiative of the United States, the ministerial conference formally endorsed a declaration stating that WTO members "will continue their current practice of not imposing customs duties on electronic transmissions," at least until the next ministerial meeting. President Clinton said the development of electronic commerce, which he described as the most promising growth area in decades, should not be stunted by discriminatory barriers. However, a number of NGO representatives said they are concerned that a lack of regulation of electronic commerce may engender violations of consumer and privacy rights through current practices of "click-on" contracts that they said do not respect national and international norms. They were also concerned that a permanent multilateral ban on taxation of all forms of electronic commerce would bar a major government revenue option, as well as the possibility of taming global financial instability through the taxation of electronically-operated international financial speculation. Public Demonstrations Around the World A number of highly-visible public demonstrations, organized by People's Global Action (PGA), took place in Geneva and other parts of the world parallel to the ministerial conference. The PGA, an international network of grassroots organizations and social movements ranging from farmers and labour unions to the unemployed, had organized its first international conference in Geneva on 23-26 February 1998. At that meeting, over 300 participants from some 70 countries had elaborated a common manifesto against global economic policies and institutions, and coordinated decentralized protest actions in the build-up to the WTO ministerial conference. Some, as in India, had mobilized several hundred-thousand demonstrators. Although the PGA has taken an explicitly militant approach and questions the value of conventional "lobbying" as an effective strategy, many NGOs accredited to the ministerial conference said the PGA's actions added political weight and immediacy to their concerns, which they felt were given greater status and recognition than during the first WTO ministerial conference in 1996. Contact: Peter Pedersen, External Relations Officer, WTO, Centre William Rappart, 154 rue de Lausanne, Case postale, CH-1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/739 5848, fax +41-22/739 5777, e-mail , web site (http://www.wto.org). The PGA web site can be accessed at (http://www.agp.org). UN SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REPORT ON CAUSES OF CONFLICT IN AFRICA On 16 April UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented to the UN Security Council his report on The Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa. Members of the council convened on 24 April to respond to issues raised in the report, which is summarized below. The report was prepared at the request of a September 1997 ministerial-level meeting of the Security Council, which addressed growing international concern over the number and intensity of armed conflicts in Africa. The report analyzes the sources of conflict in Africa and develops arguments for responding to situations of conflict, building a durable peace and promoting economic growth. It contains recommendations on structural adjustment, debt and trade, development assistance, arms and arms trafficking, refugees, sanctions, and international business practices. It also proposes a set of "realistic and achievable" measures to reduce political tensions and violence within and between African states. And it recommends that the Security Council meet every two years at the ministerial level to assess efforts undertaken and actions needed to support peace and development in Africa, and that it consider convening within five years a summit-level session for the same purpose. Sources of Conflict Preventing conflicts begins and ends with the promotion of human security and human development, according to the report. "Peace and development," said Mr. Annan, "remain inextricably linked one feeding on the other, enabling the other and securing the other. The renunciation of violence as a means of gaining and holding power is only the beginning. Then must follow a renewed commitment to national development founded on sober, sound and uncorrupted economic practices." Of the 53 countries in Africa, 14 were afflicted by armed conflict in 1996. Since 1970, over 30 wars have been waged in Africa, accounting for more than half of all war-related deaths worldwide and condemning over eight million people to refugee, returnee or displaced person status. By not averting these "colossal human tragedies," argues the report, African leaders, the international community and the United Nations have failed the peoples of Africa. "In Africa, as elsewhere," it says, "the United Nations increasingly is being required to respond to intra-State instability and conflict. In those conflicts, the main aim, to an alarming degree, is the destruction not of armies but of civilians and entire ethnic groups. Preventing such wars is no longer a question of defending States or protecting allies. It is a question of defending humanity itself." Among sources of conflict are the legacies of colonialism related to the way in which Africa was arbitrarily divided, and the character of commercial relations instituted. The report says that in the post-colonial period, a necessary building of national unity was pursued through heavy centralization of political and economic power and the suppression of political pluralism, which in turn led to corruption, nepotism, complacency and abuse of power. The nature of political power in many African states has been a direct cause of conflict. "Winner-takes-all" governance, observes the report, with political parties constructed along regional or ethnically-based lines causes rival communities to perceive that their security, perhaps their very survival, can be ensured only through control of state power. Other sources of conflict include: international arms trafficking, competition for scarce land and water, and tensions between opposing visions of society and the state. Military Budgets, Arms Trade, Sanctions and Refugees In his report Mr. Annan strongly urges African nations to diminish military expenditures and to combat illegal arms trafficking. He proposes that governments in conflict situations consider appointing special mediators or special commissions to build confidence and recommend practical solutions. He also recommends establishing "contact groups" of interested countries or a special conference in conflict and post-conflict situations, as was done in the case of Liberia. Among those coming under criticism by the Secretary-General for their role in fanning conflicts in Africa are international arms merchants, foreign interests sustaining conflicts in competition for oil and other natural resources, and African states themselves. The report recommends that: -- UN member states urgently pass legislation making the violation of Security Council arms embargoes by individuals or corporations a criminal offense under national laws; -- the Security Council consider how the UN might help compile, track and publicize information on arms trafficking; and -- African governments reduce purchases of arms and munitions to 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) and maintain zero-growth on defence budgets for the next decade. Concerning sanctions, the report notes that "in some cases, the hardship imposed on the civilian population is greatly disproportionate to the likely impact of sanctions on the behaviour of the protagonists." On the issues of refugees, it recommends establishing an international mechanism to help host governments maintain the security and neutrality of refugee camps. Such camps, said Mr. Annan, should be located away from borders and combatants should be separated from genuine refugees. Peace and the Economy: Aid, Trade and Investment International aid in general should be reviewed and restructured to reduce dependency, recommends the report, and should focus on high-impact areas such as rural water supply, basic education and primary health. Donors should strive to ensure that at least 50% of their aid to Africa is spent in Africa. The report observes that 90% of the US$12 billion a year for technical assistance programmes is spent on non-African consultants, despite the availability of African experts in many fields. The external debt of Africa, described by Mr. Annan as "one of the central crises of Africa today," was US$328.9 billion as of 1995. In order to service the debt fully, African countries would have to pay more than 60% of their yearly export earnings. Therefore the report recommends that: the scope of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative should be greatly expanded, as only four African countries had met its conditions at the time of the report's release; all creditors should convert into grants all remaining official bilateral debt of the poorest African countries; creditors should consider clearing the entire debt stock of the poorest African countries as requested by the OAU; and the next summit of the Group of Eight industrialized countries should consider eliminating trade barriers to African products. Structural Adjustment Programmes With regard to structural adjustment programmes, the report says that conditionalities of the Bretton Woods Institutions must not be antithetical to a peace process, and donors should not cut off funds from a weak government making good faith, popularly-supported efforts to implement peace agreements. Role of the Private Sector and NGOs In a press conference following the release of the report, Mr. Annan noted the importance of encouraging partnerships with the private sector, NGOs and civil society to advance economic and social projects in Africa. "In today's world," he said, "it is the private sector that creates wealth...that has the money, the technology and the management, so we need to work with them to really try to get them to invest in some of these countries." He noted that the UN is "working with governments to strengthen their institutions, to come up with the right legal framework, to come up with their own regulations for privatization to ensure that they create the enabling environment that will foster investments, both domestic and international. It is these same conditions that encourage domestic investment that will attract international investment....But of course, we have to make sure that some of it is direct investment and not just capital that can move in and out at whim." With regard to international business practices, the report recommends that governments implementing the Convention Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (see Go Between 67) should set a timetable for early enactment of national legislation. It also says the OAU should draw up by the year 2000 an African convention on the conduct of public officials and the transparency of public administration. Security Council Debate On 24 April the Security Council held a day-long debate on the situation in Africa. Fifty-two speakers addressed the continent's challenges and potential in consideration of the report, and governments praised the Secretary-General for what they called a balanced and candid view of the sources of conflict in the region. Support was widely expressed for recommendations on the need to stem the flow of arms into regions of conflict and to deal with Africa's unsustainable debt burden. Many governments, from both North and South, advocated widening the HIPC Initiative. Others advocated for securing more dynamic relationships with business leaders, the UN and sub-regional entities. Several governments said that NGOs could play a complementary role in supporting efforts to make governments more accountable and responsive. Governments also emphasized the need for a strengthened Organization of African Unity through the enhancement of an early warning system, technology transfer, personnel training and logistical and financial support. The creation of an international mechanism to assist host governments in maintaining the security and neutrality of refugee camps was broadly backed, as well as a Malian initiative on a moratorium on the import, export and manufacture of light weapons in the Sahara-Sahel region. In addition to consideration in the Security Council, the report will be submitted to the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and other bodies of the UN system that have responsibilities toward Africa, including the Bretton Woods Institutions. The SG's report (S/1998/318-A/52/871) is available on the UN homepage at (http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/reports/1998/s1998318.htm). If you do not have access to the Internet, or would like the report in one of the official UN languages other than English, you can request a copy from NGLS, United Nations, Room FF-346, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 3125, fax +1-212/963 8712, e-mail . Security Council Establishes Working Group to Review SG's Recommendations On 28 May the Security Council expressed grave concern about continuing armed conflicts in Africa that threaten regional peace. It has decided to establish an ad hoc working group to review all the Secretary-General's recommendations related to the maintenance of international peace and security in Africa proposed in his report on causes of conflict and promotion of durable peace and sustainable development on the continent. The council, unanimously adopting resolution 1171 (1998), decided that the working group would comprise all its members and would be convened for a period of six months. Its tasks are to prepare a framework for the implementation of the Secretary-General's recommendations and submit specific proposals for concrete action for the council's consideration by September. The council also expressed its intention to meet at the ministerial level on a biennial basis, beginning in September and subsequently as needed, in order to assess progress in promoting peace and security in Africa. In the resolution the council stressed the importance of appropriate consultations and cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on follow-up to the report. The council welcomed the contributions of the OAU to conflict prevention and resolution in Africa, including its Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, as well as those of subregional arrangements. It also welcomed efforts made by member states, regional organizations and the United Nations to enhance the capacity of African states to contribute to peacekeeping operations, in accordance with the United Nations charter. Stressing that the challenges in Africa demand a comprehensive response, the council expressed the hope that the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the relevant United Nations bodies, regional and subregional organizations, international financial institutions, as well as member states, would consider the Secretary-General's report and its recommendations and take action within their areas of competence. It also invited member states and regional organizations to provide assistance to the OAU's mechanism in order to enhance its capacity in anticipating and preventing conflicts. The council expressed concern that the use of mercenaries and presence of armed militias continues to contribute to instability in Africa. The council, emphasizing the destabilizing effects of the illicit transfer of arms, urged governments concerned to combat the trafficking of such weapons. The Secretary-General was asked to keep the council regularly informed of UN system efforts in implementing his recommendations. Mr. Annan was also encouraged to continue to take concerted actions aimed at enhancing the OAU's capacity to anticipate and prevent conflicts in Africa. ECOSOC HIGH-LEVEL MEETING WITH BRETTON WOODS INSTITUTIONS The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held its first special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods Institutions on 18 April at UN headquarters in New York. The theme of the discussion, which followed the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC, focused on Global Financial Integration and Development and Recent Issues. Participants in the high-level meeting were mainly from finance ministries of ECOSOC member states, UN missions, and some ministries of development cooperation. The UN Secretary-General and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also presented their views. Topics discussed included: -- causes of the current Asian financial crisis; -- effects of financial crises on vulnerable groups and other countries; -- poverty eradication and globalization; -- liberalization of capital flows and the need to safeguard against speculation and volatility; and -- debt relief. Finance ministers, who also discussed ways to develop effective early warning systems to help avert future financial crises, expressed support for the IMF's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility, set up in 1987 to help low-income countries facing protracted balance of payments problems. However, they expressed anxiety about "contagion effects" of financial crises such as in Asia and called for intensified IMF surveillance and greater transparency. Developing countries warned that further liberalization of capital markets must be approached slowly and cautiously. Poor Bear Disproportionate Burden of Crisis Some speakers noted that poverty should be the main target of international economic cooperation and national economic policies. They said economic efficiency should not be a goal in itself, but should serve general human welfare. Concern was widely expressed about the effects of financial crises on poverty. "When the crisis or the crunch comes, it is always the poor who tend to bear disproportionately the burden of such crises, be it the migrant worker or the single mother...they are the ones to feel the crunch first," said the Principal Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He added that "there must be some safety nets provided which run beyond the capability of the economy which is suffering from the crisis." Proposals and Improvements Suggested Questions were also raised about international economic decision-making structures. One proposal called for establishing an economic security council. Jan Pronk, Minister for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, advocated inclusion of the United Nations on the joint World Bank/IMF Development Committee. Ministers also called for improved debt relief mechanisms and ways to counteract financial market instability. "The fundamental flaws in the global financial system," said Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Finance Minister and Development Committee chair, "such as the unpredictability of the international capital market, the destabilizing impact of short-term capital flows and the systemic fragility of the international monetary system need to be remedied so as to avoid future financial convulsions of increasing severity." IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus, responding to proposals to make drastic institutional changes in international economic decision-making said, "We're still taking stock." He also described recent actions taken to improve the IMF's capacity to address today's financial and monetary challenges. "Broadening and strengthening supervision of the IMF this has to be extended to the banking system and financial system in its entirety," he said. "The [IMF] must be able to follow-up far more closely on capital flows." Responding to questions about the need for greater monitoring and surveillance of the economic policies of industrialized countries, Mr. Camdessus said, "It has to be symmetrical. And I think this is true, it must apply most forcefully not in the developing or the poorer or the smaller countries, but rather in the countries having greater systemic weight or importance." However, he noted that the IMF is exerting its surveillance closely in the case of Japan, even to the point of being "a little indiscreet." Mr. Camdessus stressed what he called the critical importance of involving the IMF early on when a country is experiencing difficulties if drastic and painful economic measures are to be avoided. "I must deplore the fact," he said, "that in most of the most difficult cases we have had to treat in recent years, and perhaps because we were not able to show the human face of monetary adjustment, countries asked us to intervene when it was too late a few days before declaring bankruptcy." Many speakers raised the need for what they said should be more equitable sharing of the risks and costs of globalization. "We know the creative capacity of the free market today," said the Secretary of State for Development Cooperation of Sweden. "But there is a choice. The choice is either to make that market social, or we will see that market captured by elites or corrupt structures within or between countries. That is true for all of us." Globalization Has Changed the World A presidential summary of the discussion issued by the session's chair, ECOSOC Vice-President Paolo Fulci (Italy), noted that "the main point of today's dialogue has been the recognition that globalization has changed the world and the world must respond." The summary also noted a widespread and deep concern of participants about the adverse consequences of financial crises for vulnerable groups, as well as the profound consequences for poverty. "The alleviation of poverty must remain our ultimate objective," it said, "both in the long-run and in the short-term." The summary noted participants' agreement on the need for more information on financial data and policies, greater transparency and improved monitoring of financial flows and banking practices. "While many questions remain," it said, "we agree that there is a need to strengthen the global architecture; we agree that prevention is better than cure; and we agree that actions are required at both the national and international levels." 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 . UN press release ECOSOC/5750 on the meeting is available on the UN homepage (http://www.un.org). BRIEFINGS ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT Concerning an important new initiative of the UN General Assembly on the question of financing for development, Ambassador Oscar de Rojas (Venezuela), GA Second Committee chair, has held a series of briefings in New York on issues related to financing for development. The UN Secretariat has also begun identifying background material and preparing reports to be used as inputs to government deliberations at the GA's 53rd session. In preparation for a General Assembly working group that will be formed toward the end of 1998 to begin negotiations on a possible summit, international conference or other event on financing for development, to be held no later then the year 2001 (see Go Between 68), the UN Secretariat has been asked to compile government and other stakeholder reports on issues relating to financing for development. In addition to governments, the Secretariat will be soliciting information from NGOs, trade unions and private financial institutions such as banks, pension funds, charitable foundations and micro-credit lending institutions. Following initial discussions held with governments in March, the Secretariat has identified eight recurrent themes: mobilizing domestic resources for development; mobilizing international private financial flows for development; international financial cooperation for development; external debt (bilateral, multilateral and commercial); trade and financing for development; innovative sources of financing; governance of the international monetary, financial and trade systems; and other special topics. Governance of the International Financial System and Institutions: Some Latin American Perspectives, 2 April Manuela Tortora-Rangel, Director for Macroeconomic Issues and External Affairs of the Latin American Economic System (SELA), discussed implications of the Asian financial crisis for governance of the international financial system and the impact on other countries and regions. She said it is both appropriate and necessary that the United Nations address issues connected to the crisis, including international financial governance and distribution of the costs of financial crises. She stressed that decisions on international financial governance must involve all countries since all are affected, and that any effective process must also involve major private players such as investors, fund managers and exchange traders. Report on the Outcome of the High-Level Meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee, 20 April James Michel, chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), noted a convergence within the international community on a new concept of development, which focuses on a search for partnership and dialogue toward a people-centred, locally owned development. However, he said official development assistance (ODA) has declined by 16% since its peak in 1992. It is now in the form of grants rather than loans, with much going into social expenditures. Mr. Michel observed that the international community views aid not so much as a major source of development funding, but as a "catalytic instrument." He also suggested ways to counteract donor "aid fatigue" including developing indicators of progress, such as literacy rates. International Investment Agreements: Recent Developments, 21 April Karl Sauvant, Chief of International Investment, Transnationals and Technology Flows Branch of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said existing investment agreements and policy changes at the national, bilateral and regional level have been multiplying exponentially in recent years, although they do not yet make up a coherent whole at the international level. Regional arrangements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the proposed Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) are all pro-investment. He said there is no government today that does not seek to increase foreign direct investment, and all these factors foreshadow a future agreement on investment, whether or not a Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) is concluded in the OECD. "If there is to be a Multilateral Agreement on Investment," Mr. Sauvant concluded, "it is far more important than even the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade." Investment implies integrated production systems, he explained, and a framework to govern this would be broader and more intrusive than one dealing with trade since it would cover all factors of production. Private Financing for Development: Investor's Perspective, 19 May Marshall Carter, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of State Street Corporation, said the vital new mission for the development community is to find ways of using the dynamic energy of cross-border investment flows and the growth of capital markets to serve national development. He said that as life expectancy rises, a tax-based "pay-as-you-go" pension system will have to be supplemented with better-funded private and public pensions. These pension monies can fuel investment and national development, he added. "Efficient asset allocation requires a coherent legal, regulatory and technical infrastructure," Mr. Carter said. "Above all, we need to end the political manipulation of investment flows." He stressed that while markets need to be free, this does not mean they should be unregulated. Mr. Carter welcomed the adoption at the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund of an IMF Code of Good Practices aimed at providing more complete information on the financial health of individual countries as an "early warning" system for global finance. Stressing that smaller economies will need protective mechanisms to prevent being overwhelmed by international capital markets, Mr. Carter said developing countries should "create a more balanced financial architecture by shifting from an excessive reliance on bank financing especially short-term loans to securities market financing through equities and long-term bonds." For more information on how NGOs can contribute to the process leading up to the possible 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 . Copies of some of the presentations described here, as well as the report of the Committee for Development Planning, are also available upon request from NGLS in New York. PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE FAO Emergency Activities This publication, which discusses the role of FAO in responding to natural disasters and other emergencies, also provides summaries of FAO programmes in emergency areas. Available from: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, fax +39-6/5705 3152. World Education Report 1998 The fourth edition of this report, published by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), contains statistical data on education from over 180 countries. It looks at the challenges to teaching as new information and communication technologies are introduced into education, and notes the global disparities in access to these technologies. The report is published in English, French and Spanish. Available from: UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, fax +33-1/45 68 56 52, web site (http://www.unesco.org/opi/eng/wer). WTO as a Conceptual Framework for Globalisation This is an anthology of articles from individuals and organizations involved in lobbying and information work on international trade. The publication covers issues including the connection between conflict, globalization and free trade; the expanding power of transnational corporations; and the scarcity of food. Available from: Global Publications Foundation, Stiftelsen Global Kunskap, Box 1221, 752 42 Uppsala, Sweden, fax +46-18/503360, e-mail , web site (http://www.globalpublications.org). Oxfam Publications Capacity-Building: An Approach to People-Centred Development This book considers specific and practical ways NGOs can contribute to enabling people to build on capacities they already possess; reviews the types of social organization with which NGOs can work; and discusses the provision of training in a variety of relevant skills and activities. The Philippines: In Search of Justice This country profile of the Philippines examines problems stemming from unequal distribution of resources and the struggle to "put right historical wrongs." The book also looks at how Filipinos are making efforts to secure land rights and more control over the resources they need. 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. Creating a Space for Children (Volume 2) This volume, part of a series on national legislation and regulations affecting films and television programmes for children around the world, focuses on Central and Eastern Europe. An entry for each country describes films and television programmes for children and lists sources and contact addresses. The volume also contains relevant documents such as the media rights section of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Available from: International Centre of Films for Children and Young People, General Secretariat, 3774 St.-Denis Street, Suite 200, Montreal, Quebec H2W 2M1, Canada, fax +1-514/284 0168, e-mail , web site (http://www.odyssee.net/ cifej). Development With a Human Face: Experiences in Social Achievement and Economic Growth This book presents retrospective studies of ten developing countries that it says have demonstrated successful health and educational development over the last 30 to 40 years. Policy lessons emphasize the importance of state provision of basic social services; health systems that focus on rural preventive care; equity and high efficiency in social spending; "adjustment with a human face" in times of economic crisis; sequencing social spending so that investment in basic education precedes, or is simultaneous with, investment in health; and interventions that cut across sectors to improve the status of women. Available from: Oxford University Press, Orders Dept., 2001 Evans Road, Cary NC 27513, United States. World Vision Publications African Voices on Advocacy This discussion paper, which focuses on the role of NGOs in development and advocacy, raises questions about the legitimacy of both Northern and Southern NGOs to speak on behalf of the poor. The paper emphasizes the need to get away from the traditional North-South paradigm and forge a new type of partnership. Transnational NGOs and Advocacy This discussion paper argues that while transnational NGOs are well-positioned to play a key advocacy role, they fail to do so for fear of alienating supporters or donors. The paper challenges transnational NGOs to be more innovative and courageous if their advocacy is to be more effective. Available from: World Vision UK, 599 Avebury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3PG, United Kingdom, fax +44-1908/841001. Managing for a Change: How to Run Community Development Projects This book discusses ways to develop and plan development projects from concept to completion. Topics include identifying the problem, mobilizing a group, basic bookkeeping, project execution and post-project management. Available from: Intermediate Technology Publications, 103/105 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4HH, United Kingdom, fax +44-1752/202331. Action for Cancer Prevention Campaign This publication provides a compilation of research projects from 1990-1997 on the environmental links of breast cancer. Issues discussed include electromagnetic fields, chemicals, metals, toxins, occupational hazards, radiation and contraceptives. Available from: Women's Environment and Development Organization, 355 Lexington Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/973 0335, e-mail . Building Corporate Accountability: Emerging Practices in Social and Ethical Accounting, Auditing and Reporting This book explores the use of social and ethical accounting, auditing and reporting as a means of enhancing corporate responsibility and business success. It introduces an historic overview of developments and a methodological framework that allows emerging practices worldwide to be analyzed, understood and improved. Available from: Earthscan Publications, 120 Pentonville Road, London N1 9JN, United Kingdom, fax +44-171/278 1142, e-mail . INTRAC Occasional Paper Series: Partners or Contractors? The Relationship Between Official Agencies and NGOs: Bangladesh This paper, which examines the impact of direct funding on development of the NGO sector in Bangladesh, focuses on the changing relationships between large, national NGOs and small, local NGOs and community-based organizations. Official Donor Agencies and Direct Funding Mechanisms: Three Northern Case Studies CIDA, EU and USAID Recent studies have shown that there has been a rapid increase in official aid made directly available by bilateral and multilateral donors to Southern NGOs. This paper presents three case studies on relationships between NGOs and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the European Union (EU) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Contact: International NGO Training and Research Centre, PO Box 563, Oxford OX2 6RZ, United Kingdom, fax +44-1865/201852. WHO Reproductive Health Library This annual electronic journal, published by the World Health Organization, contains reviews of controlled clinical trials on priority reproductive health topics; expert commentaries on relevance of the findings for developing countries; and practical advice on the management of reproductive health problems. The journal, intended primarily for developing country health workers, is available on a 3.5 inch diskette and runs under the Windows TM operating system. Available from: Jitendra Khanna, Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, WHO, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, fax +41-22/791 3345, e-mail , web site (http://www.who.ch). CALENDAR DISARMAMENT -- Conference on Disarmament, 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 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 -- 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 -- Working Group on the Right to Development, 3rd session, September/October (2 weeks), Geneva -- Committee Against Torture, 21st session, 9-20 November, Geneva -- Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 19th session, 16 November-4 December, Geneva Rights of the Child -- Committee on the Rights of the Child 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 REFUGEES Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- UNHCR Executive Committee, 49th session, 12-16 October, 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) -- Conference of the Parties, 4th session The above meetings will take place on 2-13 November, Buenos Aires Convention to Combat Desertification (ccd) -- Conference of the 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 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) -- Commission on Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities, 3rd session, 21-25 September, Geneva -- Trade and Development Board, 45th session, 19-30 October, Geneva -- Commission on Enterprise, Business Facilitation and Development, 3rd session, 2-6 November, Geneva -- Partners for Development, 9-13 November, Lyon WOMEN -- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), 19th session, 22 June-10 July, New York GUEST EDITORIAL Federico Mayor, Director-General United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization For modern science, the sea is the very source of life on Earth. It is, so to speak, the amniotic fluid from which all living things spring. Throughout history, the oceans have been vital to human civilization as a resource base, as a route to other lands and other peoples or as an outlet for population overflow. Over 90 percent of the planet's living and non-living resources are found within a few hundred kilometres of the coasts. On or near these coasts live two-thirds of the world's people. Without the sea, life on Earth would be impossible. Our planet would be a barren desert like Mars about which, paradoxically, we probably know more than we do about the oceans. There is an urgent need for us to improve our understanding of this part of our planet. The oceans are vital in regulating our climate, as can be seen from the destructive weather patterns unleashed by El Ni¤o, and our environment. The water accumulated in the oceans plays a fundamental role in the life-supporting system of the earth. Understanding, respecting and preserving the oceans is essential for the seas to go on sustaining a myriad of untapped and largely unknown animal and plant species as well as the livelihoods, traditions and cultures of coastal human populations. But the oceans are not only vital for coastal populations, they concern and affect the life of humanity in its entirety. For the human imagination, the sea has always been a symbol of vastness and freedom. Now, at the close of the second millennium, competition for scarce resources is showing this freedom to have its limits. Growing demand is placing the marine environment and resources under increasing strain. History teaches that scarcity can be the cause of conflict and war. However, it may be hoped that the will today exists to shape our destinies otherwise. In an historic speech on 1 November 1967, Malta's Ambassador to the United Nations, Arvid Pardo, called for international regulations to prevent the oceans from becoming a theatre for escalating conflict between nations, to halt the poisoning of our oceans though negligence, and to protect its resources from exhaustion. His words did not fall on deaf ears. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a declaration providing that all sea-bed resources beyond the limits of national jurisdiction constitute the common heritage of mankind. Fifteen years later, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which attracted a record 159 signatures provided the international community with an effective legal framework covering navigational rights, territorial sea limits, rights of passage, questions of economic jurisdiction, the conservation and management of living marine resources, and procedures for the peaceful settlement of disputes. The value of legal instruments is dependent on how far they are respected and enforced. This planet does not belong to the adults of today and should not be managed on the basis of short-term considerations of economic gain or political power. If the signatures of our children were needed to ratify decisions that affect their future, many of the destructive actions perpetrated today would certainly cease. Whatever we do, the ocean will survive in one way or another. What is more problematic is whether we shall preserve it in a state that ensures humanity's survival and well-being. Time is short, and the issue is in the balance. The United Nations has declared 1998 the International Year of the Ocean as a celebration of this source of life and civilization. But this international year is also a reminder of the need to protect this most precious of resources, an affirmation of our commitment to safeguard the rights of future generations, for whom we hold our planet and its life-sustaining oceans in trust.