Go Between 71, Oct.-Nov. 1998

UN NEWS


SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REPORT ON WORK OF UN
The United Nations is more responsive, more efficient and more accountable than it was a few
years ago, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in his annual report to the General Assembly on
the work of the organization. The report (document A/53/1) covers, among other things:
peace and security questions; development cooperation; humanitarian issues, including
assistance to refugees; globalization; strengthening the international legal order; and creation
of a culture of communication to enable the organization to more coherently and forcefully
communicate with its global audience.  

Mr. Annan said recent experience shows that the quest for international peace and security
requires complementary action on security and economic and social fronts. "Human security
and equitable and sustainable development turn out to be two sides of the same coin," he said.
The report also examined challenges posed by the emerging socio-economic forces and forms
of globalization, and how they should be met to serve the needs of the international
community. Multilateral institutions such as the United Nations have a critical role to play in
bridging the gap between the beneficial effects of market forces and their negative
consequences. The task ahead, according to Mr. Annan, is to harness the positive potential of
globalization while managing its adverse effects. Strengthening multilateral institutions can
help to accomplish that task. 

Mr. Annan observed that the intimate relationship between social justice, material well-being
and peace must be taken into account in any action to prevent local conflicts from escalating
and spilling over into the international arena. United Nations efforts to reduce poverty and
promote development and democratization including electoral assistance and civic
education have gradually become more comprehensive and more integrated. All of those
efforts might be described as "preventive peace-building" since they attack the root causes of
many conflicts. Good governance is perhaps the single most important factor in eradicating
poverty and promoting development, the Secretary-General stated, adding that support for it
has become an increasingly important element in the development-related work of the United
Nations. 

During the past year, tangible results have been recorded in the humanitarian field despite
serious funding constraints. In July 1998, for the first time, the Economic and Social Council
included a special humanitarian segment in its regular session, in which it reaffirmed the
importance of respect for international humanitarian law and principles, endorsed the work of
the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and set out specific goals for future
priority areas. 

Placing communications at the heart of the strategic management of the organization is central
to the ongoing revitalization of the United Nations, said the report. If the goals of the
revitalization are to be understood, a culture of communication must pervade the entire
organization. To that end, a strategic communications planning group has been created within
the Department of Public Information (DPI) to assist the Under-Secretary-General in setting
goals and strategies and in reaching out to the media, NGOs, academic institutions, the
business community and youth. 

In the countdown to the new century, the Secretary-General said his reform programme must
be carried forward, and member states must engage those reforms that lie within their purview
with greater determination and vigour. Reforming the United Nations institutional machinery
is but a first step toward refashioning its role for the new era. "We all need a vital and effective
United Nations," he said, "this indispensable instrument for achieving our common goals, this
unique expression of our common humanity."


SG'S REPORT ON UN ARRANGEMENTS FOR NGOS
In July UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a report on Arrangements and Practices for
the Interaction of Non-Governmental Organizations in All Activities of the United Nations
System, for consideration by the General Assembly at its 53rd session. "In the aftermath of the
global conferences and with the emergence of a new international environment characterized
by unrestricted flows of information," said the report, "the United Nations has entered a new
era in its relations with NGOs and other civil society actors....The United Nations is
committed to seek the participation and contribution of NGOs in its work. New approaches,
attitudes, methods and responses are required throughout the United Nations system if we are
to meet this challenge effectively."

The report, compiled by the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, describes existing
arrangements and practices for UN/NGO interaction throughout the UN system. It also
addresses some legal and financial implications of modifications in the current arrangements
and explores the question of participation of NGOs from all regions, in particular from
developing countries. The report discusses relations and cooperation between NGOs and
many of the departments, agencies, funds and programmes of the UN system including NGLS,
which is described as a "very important mechanism for the dissemination of information and
the fostering of a greater understanding and dialogue between the United Nations and NGOs." 

Proposals toward enhancing participation of NGOs in all areas of the UN system include:
harmonize existing UN databases on NGOs to facilitate exchange and compilation of
information on NGOs across the system; ensure that NGO sections and liaison offices are
appropriately staffed and allocated the necessary logistical and financial resources; and share
best practices and experiences to promote coherence and efficiency in dealings with civil
society.  The report, which cites UN efforts to expand information dissemination through the
Internet, also requests member states to consider additional measures such as allowing NGOs
with consultative status to occupy seats in the GA during public debates on items in social or
economic fields; establishing a trust fund to facilitate participation of NGOs from developing
countries in UN activities; and reviewing funding for the UN's optical disk system (see Go
Between 64) to allow for wider access by NGOs.

The question of NGO participation in all areas of the UN's work was originally raised in the
context of a review by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of its resolution 1296
(XLIV). At that time ECOSOC members recommended to the General Assembly that it
undertake a broader, system-wide review of the UN/NGO relationship (see NGLS Roundup,
November 1996). 

Contact: The report (A/53/170) will be made available on the UN website
(www.un.org/ga/documents/select.htm).  If you do not have access to the Internet or would
like a copy of the report in a language other than English, contact NGLS in New York. Please
specify if you prefer to receive the report in English electronically.


PROTECTING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE 
On 29 September UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report on The Protection of
Humanitarian Assistance to Refugees and Others in Conflict Situations was submitted to the
Security Council. The report sets outs the challenges and obstacles that confront humanitarian
agencies operating in violent and dangerous environments. 

"Operating on the front lines of numerous conflicts," said Deputy Secretary-General Louise
Frechette, who introduced the report, "humanitarian agencies are all too aware that their
ability to be effective to staunch suffering is extremely limited when defenceless civilians are
deliberately targeted and access to humanitarian assistance is denied." She said never before
have there been such widespread and deliberate attacks against civilians. Terrorized and
traumatized by armed violence, millions are obliged to flee and become refugees or internally
displaced. "This phenomenon of directly targeting civilians," said Ms. Frechette, "and the use
of scorched earth tactics, is not new but the scale of such atrocities, and the horrendous cost in
human suffering, has reached an unprecedented level."

Among other things, the report proposes what should be done to protect the millions who are
internally displaced or trapped in war zones, and it sets out specific measures to enhance the
protection of refugees. 

Ms. Frechette stressed that securing a durable peace is the most important role of the Security
Council, and represents the best support it can provide to humanitarian agencies struggling
with the humanitarian consequences of warfare. The Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was instrumental in preparing the report, which also
benefited from consultation with other United Nations humanitarian agencies. 


DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE 1998 SESSION
The Conference on Disarmament, the world's only multilateral forum for disarmament
negotiations, concluded its 1998 session on 8 September in Geneva. During the session the
conference examined the following agenda items: cessation of the nuclear arms race and
nuclear disarmament; prevention of nuclear war; prevention of an arms race in outer space;
effective international arrangements to assure nonnuclear-weapon states against the use or
threat of use of nuclear weapons; new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems
of such weapons; a comprehensive programme of disarmament of anti-personnel landmines;
and transparency in armaments.
 
In order to examine certain items on its agenda, the conference established two ad hoc
committees on fissile material and negative security assurances, and it appointed three special
coordinators on anti-personnel landmines, prevention of an arms race in outer space, and
transparency in armaments. Three other special coordinators were appointed to consider the
improvement and effective functioning of the conference, review of the agenda, and expansion
of membership.

Contact: Conference on Disarmament, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland,
telephone +41-22/907 3441, fax +41-22/917 0034.


UNHCR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SESSION
At the 49th session of the Executive Committee of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), held 5-9 October in Geneva, High Commissioner
Sadako Ogata called for closer international cooperation to resolve refugee problems and
stressed that "asylum remains the cornerstone of refugee protection." Ms. Ogata said that
international solidarity is needed more than ever to halt the conflicts that cause so many to
flee, and to shore up fragile peace in many countries. She also urged development of a "global
solidarity agenda" for the next millennium. 

Ms. Ogata told the 53 member states of the committee that while the number of conflicts
around the world continue to increase and their causes become more complex, "political
interest in resolving some crises seems to be receding." She deplored what she called an
"increased trend toward violence against civilians," and underlined the sharing of
responsibilities toward people uprooted by conflict and persecution as "the most significant
aspect of burden-sharing." She said that due to budget constraints, UNHCR is shedding more
than 1000 jobs.

The High Commissioner also expressed concern that in industrialized and developing countries
alike governments are adopting more restrictive asylum policies and resorting to a narrower
interpretation of refugee law. She called for confidence in asylum to be restored, and reminded
governments that "asylum is often the only tool left to the international community to rescue a
life in danger." 

In a concluding document, among other things, the Executive Committee denounced what it
described as "numerous and serious breaches" of international refugee law and basic human
rights and fundamental freedoms, and it highlighted the unique role of UNHCR in ensuring
refugee protection. The committee stressed that the world must work together to tackle
refugee issues and must do more to help countries that host large refugee populations to ease
the social, economic and environmental burdens.
 
The committee, which sharply condemned the practice of "refoulement," emphasized the
importance of the institution of asylum. It criticized the arbitrary detention of asylum-seekers
practised in many countries, arguing that persons asking for asylum should not be detained
simply because of illegal entry nor held with common criminals. It also called upon
governments to do more to ensure the unity of refugee families.

The committee said it was deeply concerned about the increasing use of war and violence as a
means to carry out persecutory policies against groups targeted on account of their race,
religion, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion. Lack of respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as absence of the rule of law in many parts of
the world, are at the root of many refugee crises, according to the committee. It urged nations
to prevent refugee flows by promoting tolerance and combating racism, discrimination and
xenophobia.

The committee also reiterated that for most refugees, return to their homes is the best solution
as soon as it is safe and feasible. However it observed that for some refugee groups, local
integration or resettlement to other countries may be the only options. Noting that in many
cases refugees return to societies traumatized by war, the committee urged UNHCR to take an
active role in rebuilding and reconciling these communities. In addition it highlighted the need
to work with women and children in particular in order to overcome the rifts that lead to
conflict. The High Commissioner echoed this in her concluding remarks by drawing attention
to the need to help societies recover from the effects of conflict in order to ensure the
reintegration of returning refugees and to prevent further displacement. 

Prior to the session, UNHCR held its traditional meeting with NGOs on 30 September-2
October. During the opening panel speakers stressed the increasingly complex environment in
which humanitarian organizations operate, the problem of diminishing financial resources, and
the importance of partnerships with NGOs. In addition to a discussion on International
Protection Including Women and Children, regional briefings were made on Europe and
former Yugoslavia; Africa; North Africa and the Middle East; Asia and the Pacific; Central
and South West Asia; and the Americas. 

Contact: Maureen Connelly, NGO Coordinator, UNHCR, Case postale 2500, CH-1211
Geneva 2 D‚p“t, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/739 8985, fax +41-22/733 7309.


UNHCR PUSHES FOR RATIFICATION OF CONVENTIONS
On 8 October the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
launched a global campaign to encourage states to ratify key international agreements on
refugees and stateless persons by the year 2000, when UNHCR will commemorate its 50th
anniversary. "This global promotional effort will be a litmus test of solidarity and international
cooperation," said Dennis McNamara, UNHCR's top refugee protection official. He called on
members of UNHCR's Executive Committee that have not yet ratified the treaties to do so
and "lead by example."

The agreements include the 1951 Refugee Convention, the cornerstone of refugee protection
worldwide. The convention and its 1967 protocol define the status of refugees under
international law and the obligation of states to respect the principle of "non-refoulement" (to
refrain from sending refugees back to a country or territory where their lives or liberty would
be at risk). The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961
Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness are designed to prevent people from being
deprived of a nationality. The 1954 convention is designed to help people who risk becoming
stateless, for instance when states break up or borders are redrawn. The 1961 convention
prohibits states from refusing to recognize the citizenship of people linked to the country
through birth, descent or residency.

To date 136 countries have ratified the refugee convention or its 1967 protocol, but this figure
is low compared to the number of states that have signed other human rights instruments (for
example, the Convention on the Rights of the Child has 192 signatories). Ratifications of the
Refugee Convention are also geographically unbalanced, with relatively few from nations in
Asia and the Middle East. Only 45 states have ratified the Convention relating to the Status of
Stateless Persons, and just 19 states have ratified the Convention on the Reduction of
Statelessness.


SECURITY COUNCIL ON EFFECTIVE ARMS EMBARGOES 
The Security Council, following up its consideration of the UN Secretary-General's 13 April
report on the causes of conflict and promotion of durable peace and sustainable development
in Africa (see Go Between 69), is seeking to strengthen the effectiveness of its arms
embargoes as a means of diminishing their availability. Resolution 1196, adopted by the
council on 16 September, encouraged each member state to enact legislation or other legal
measures making the violation of arms embargoes established by the council a criminal
offence. The resolution also requested the Security Council Committees, established by
resolutions imposing arms embargoes in Africa, to include in their annual reports a substantive
section on the implementation of arms embargoes, possible violations of their measures, and
recommendations for strengthening the effectiveness of arms embargoes. 

The council expressed its willingness to consider all measures to assist the effective
implementation of its arms embargoes, noting measures that might be relevant in consultation
with countries concerned, such as inquiries into arms trafficking routes, the follow-up of
possible specific violations and the deployment of border or point of entry monitors. The
council requested the chairpersons of its committees charged with monitoring arms embargoes
in Africa to establish communication with regional and subregional organizations in order to
improve the monitoring of arms embargoes through wider and regular exchange of
information. These include the Organization of African Unity (OAU) Mechanism for Conflict
Prevention, Management and Resolution; the Economic Community of West African States;
the UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa; the Southern
African Development Community; and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. The
council's resolution also stressed that arms embargoes should have clear objectives and
provisions for regular review of the measures, with a view to lifting them when the objectives
are met.


PRINCIPLES ON INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT
In recent years the international community has become increasingly aware of the plight of the
internally displaced, numbering some 25 million people worldwide. Internally displaced
persons, who do not cross an internationally-recognized state border, are forced or obliged to
flee their homes to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence,
violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters.

The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, developed this year by a team of experts and
the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Internally Displaced Persons, address
the specific needs of internally displaced persons worldwide. The principles, which identify the
rights and guarantees relevant to the protection of displaced persons, reflect and are consistent
with international human rights law and international humanitarian law. They apply to the
different phases of displacement including protection against arbitrary displacement, access to
protection and assistance during displacement, and guarantees during return or alternative
settlement and reintegration. 

The principles are intended to provide guidance for states when faced with the phenomenon of
displacement; for all other authorities, groups and persons in their relations with internally
displaced persons; and for intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Although
not legally binding, the principles are designed to be a persuasive statement that provides
practical guidance as well as an instrument for public policy education and
consciousness-raising. 

Among other things, the principles state that:
--    internally displaced persons shall enjoy, in full equality, the same rights and freedoms
under international and domestic law as do other persons in their country; 
--    national authorities have the primary duty and responsibility to provide protection and
humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons within their jurisdiction; 
--    states are under a particular obligation to protect against the displacement of
indigenous peoples, minorities, peasants, pastoralists and other groups with a special
dependency on and attachment to their lands; 
--    attacks or other acts of violence against internally displaced persons who do not or no
longer participate in hostilities are prohibited in all circumstances; and 
--    all authorities concerned shall grant and facilitate the free passage of humanitarian
assistance and grant persons engaged in the provision of such assistance rapid and unimpeded
access to the internally displaced.

Contact: Agnes Asekenye-Oonyu, Senior Humanitarian Officer, Africa I Section, Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations, New York NY 10017,
United States, telephone +1-212/963 1773, fax +1-212/963 3630, e-mail
<asekenye-oonyu@un.org>.


UN SEEKS US$54.3 MILLION FOR KOSOVO
In September international humanitarian agencies asked donor nations for US$54.3 million to
avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo this winter. "We have to act very quickly since
time is running out," said Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 

Nearly 270,000 people have been displaced by the conflict, which has left hundreds dead and
more than 100 villages destroyed. The conflict has affected thousands who are too fearful to
go back to their homes. "The civilians caught up in this war should be given hope and
reassurance," said Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Under-Secretary-General and head of the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). "Not only the uprooted but also
local populations hosting them must be protected and provided with life-saving assistance with
the winter just around the corner."

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children's
Fund, World Food Programme and World Health Organization are part of the appeal, as well
as the United Nations Development Programme, Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Organization for Migration and OCHA.


ROTTERDAM CONVENTION ADOPTED
Senior officials and ministers from almost 100 countries met from 10-11 September in
Rotterdam (the Netherlands) at the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Convention on the
Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in
International Trade. Participants adopted the Rotterdam Convention, including a resolution on
interim arrangements between adoption of the convention and its entry into force. Eighty
governments signed the final act and 62 governments, including the European Community,
signed the convention which remains open for signature at United Nations headquarters in
New York from 12 September 1998 to 10 September 1999.

The convention (see Go Between 68) is a means for formally obtaining and disseminating
information so that importing countries can decide if they wish to receive future shipments of
certain hazardous chemicals, as well as ensuring compliance by exporting countries. A key
goal of the convention, which will initially cover 22 pesticides and five industrial chemicals, is
also to provide developing countries and countries with economies in transition with technical
assistance to develop the necessary infrastructure and capacity to implement the convention's
provisions.

UNEP and FAO have been designated to jointly provide secretariat services to the convention
and in the interim period.

Contact: Jim Willis, Director, UNEP Chemicals, 11-13 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219
Chatelaine, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 8183, fax +41-22/797 3460, e-mail
<jim.willis@unep.ch>, website (irptc.unep.ch/pic/h2.html) or Niek Van der Graaff, Chief,
Plant Protection Service, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-6/5705 3441, fax
+39-6/5705 6347, e-mail <niek.vandergraaff@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org/pic).


CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUTH
Representatives of about 160 United Nations member states, attending the first session of the
World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, adopted the Lisbon Declaration on
Youth Policies and Programmes. The conference, held in Portugal from 8-12 August, was
attended by about 2000 representatives of government, the United Nations, other
intergovernmental organizations and NGOs.

Among other things, the declaration recognizes that "youth are a positive force in society and
have enormous potential for contributing to development and the advancement of societies." It
highlights the urgency to create more and better jobs for young women and men, and the
central role of youth employment in facilitating the transition from school to work "thereby
reducing crime and drug abuse and ensuring participation and social cohesion." It also notes
with concern the situation of youth living in poverty, as well as the special difficulties
experienced by youth involved in or affected by violence, sexual abuse, armed conflict,
disabilities and ethnic and cultural minorities, among other things.

The declaration also elaborates actions to which governments committed themselves in the
following areas: national youth policy, participation, development, peace, education
employment, health, and drug and substance abuse. 

Contact: William D. Angel, Officer-in-Charge, Youth Unit, Division for Social Policy and
Development, United Nations, Room DC2-1318, New York NY 10017, United States,
telephone +1-212/963 2791, fax +1-212/963 3062, e-mail <angelw@un.org>.


UNESCO WORLD CONFERENCE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
A world declaration on the missions and challenges facing higher education and a Framework
for Priority Action for Higher Education in the 21st Century were adopted by the World
Conference on Higher Education, held in Paris from 5-9 October. The conference, whose four
major themes were relevance; quality; international cooperation; and management and
financing, was held at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO). 

The event brought together 115 ministers in charge of higher education and national
delegations from over 180 UNESCO member states and the United States. Participants also
included representatives of NGOs, teachers, students, educational experts, research
organizations, international organizations and development banks. 

The aim of the conference was to contribute to the progress of higher education in the areas of
broadening access to higher education based on merit and quality; improving management of
higher education in terms of relevance and quality; and strengthening links to the world of
work with long-term strategies emphasizing societal needs, including unemployment.

Contact: Unit for the World Conference on Higher Education, Division of Higher Education,
UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75352 Paris 07 SP, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 10 95,
fax +33-1/45 68 56 26, e-mail <ml.kearney@unesco.org>.


TRIBUNAL SETS PRECEDENT ON GENOCIDE AND RAPE
On 2 September the Arusha-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda convicted
Jean-Paul Akayesu, former mayor of the Rwandan town of Taba, on nine counts of genocide.
The verdict, the first handed down by the tribunal, represents the first conviction for genocide
by an international court, the first time that rape has been found to be an act of genocide, and
the first time an international court has punished sexual violence in a civil war.

The judgement determined that rape and sexual violence "constitute genocide in the same way
as any other act as long as they were committed with the specific intent to destroy, in whole or
in part, a particular group, targeted as such." Mr. Akayesu was found to have encouraged acts
of rape and sexual violence against Tutsi women. The verdict was hailed by women's and
human rights groups worldwide, which had lobbied governments strenuously to include a
range of acts of sexual violence among crimes against humanity in the treaty establishing the
permanent International Criminal Court.

Rape is considered a violation under the 1949 Geneva Convention, 1948 Genocide
Convention and the 1984 Torture Convention, and a crime against humanity under the
Nuremberg Charter. However it has only been prosecuted under the Military Tribunal for the
Far East (Tokyo Tribunal). According to human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch,
the crime "has been dismissed by military and political leaders as a private crime, the ignoble
act of the occasional soldier...[and] accepted precisely because it is so commonplace." Both
the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda have brought
sexual violence charges.  The Rwanda Tribunal, which has specifically recruited women to
collect testimony about sexual violence, is  uniquely well-equipped to collect data about how
rape and other gender-based crimes constituted part of the genocide.

The Akayesu verdict was followed on 4 September by the sentencing of Jean Kambanda,
former Prime Minister of Rwanda, to life imprisonment for six counts of genocide and crimes
against humanity. Mr. Kambanda pleaded guilty to all charges at his initial appearance before
the tribunal on 1 May.


INDONESIA FACES LONG-TERM EMERGENCY
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that multiple threats to the health,
well-being and basic education of Indonesia's children constitute an international emergency.
Increased humanitarian aid is urgently needed to meet worsening economic and social
conditions in the world's fourth-largest nation, according to Carol Bellamy, UNICEF
Executive Director.

"The fate of millions of Indonesian children and women is at stake," she said. "Some four
million Indonesian children below the age of two are already severely malnourished and more
than 30% of the country's children are at risk of failing to complete primary school. Civil
unrest has lead to egregious violations of human rights. Catastrophic economic collapse, with
the local currency worth less than one-fifth its previous value and consumer staples nearly
doubled in price, will have an impact on the country for years to come."

Ms. Bellamy expressed concern that over US$50 billion in emergency loans to Indonesia by
the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and other lending agencies may not
be enough to turn things around. "It will take years for Indonesia to recover," she said, "and
sustained international aid is critically important to saving the lives of children. The world
community must do what is necessary to rescue the potential of Indonesian children through
good nutrition and schooling that will enable them to participate in the competitive world of
the 21st century."

UNICEF is re-orienting its entire programme of cooperation in Indonesia in order to increase
responsiveness to the deepening crisis. The organization is placing primary emphasis on
directly supporting poor families to meet their basic health, water supply and nutritional needs
in the difficult conditions of the current hyper-inflation. UNICEF is collaborating with a
number of NGOs in implementing these programmes, and it is working closely with the
Indonesian government to ensure that national policies give adequate focus to the rights of
children and women.

Contact: Madeline Eisner, Media Section, UNICEF, 3 UN  Plaza, New York NY 10017,
United States, telephone +1-212/326 7261, fax +1-212/888 7465, e-mail
<meisner@unicef.org>.


SECRETARY-GENERAL'S REPORT ON MICROCREDIT
A recent report of the United Nations Secretary-General on the role of microcredit in the
eradication of poverty has stimulated further discussion on effective ways to tackle the
eradication of poverty. (Small-scale or microcredit lending programmes, of which the
Grameen Bank of Bangladesh is the most prominent example, rely on lending small amounts
of money to small enterprises in agriculture, distribution, crafts, trading and similar activities.)

"Some studies show that there are limits to the use of credit as an instrument for poverty
eradication," said the report, "including difficulties in identifying the poor and targeting credit
to reach the poor. Added to this is the fact that many people, especially the poorest of the
poor, are usually not in a position to undertake an economic activity, partly because they lack
business skills and even the motivation for business." The report said that total lending levels
are still relatively modest despite recent increases in microcredit programmes, and can thus
hardly be expected to make a major dent in global poverty. The goal set at the 1997
Microcredit Summit (see Go Between 62) to reach 100 million families by the year 2005
would require an outlay of US$2.5 million.

The report stressed the importance of a multifaceted strategy, which includes training,
information and access to land, in addition to access to credit. It cautioned against seeing
microcredit as a panacea in the face of persistence of poverty worldwide. "The most crucial
requirement," it said, "is to perceive microcredit lending as part of a comprehensive
programme of support to the small enterprise sector." The report also highlighted the activities
of the UN system and non-governmental organizations in support of microcredit, giving
emphasis to the World Bank-led Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest.

Contact: Iqbal Haji, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, Room
DC2-1350, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 5104, fax +1-212/963
3062, e-mail <haji@un.org>. The report on Role of Microcredit in the Eradication of Poverty
(A/53/223) will be made available on the UN website (www.un.org/ga/documents/select.htm).
If you do not have access to Internet or would like a copy of the report in a language other
than English, contact NGLS in New York.


GLOBAL EFFORTS TO PROTECT OZONE LAYER 
Efforts to protect the ozone layer received a major boost on 7 October when ten donor
countries, meeting in Moscow, committed US$19 million to assist in the closure of the
Russian Federation's production facilities for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons by the
year 2000.  The funds, the result of a special initiative from the World Bank, will be used to
compensate producers of these ozone-depleting substances and will supplement US$10 million
from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), which has been made available to assist Russia
in meeting its obligations under the Montreal Protocol (see E&D File Treaty Series, No. 9).
     
The Russian Federation produces about 9% of the world production of CFCs and consumes
about 6.5%. More importantly, its production capacity is almost half of the world capacity
now.  Russia was to have phased out its production and consumption of ozone-depleting
substances by the end of 1996, but its political and economic transition delayed the phase-out.  

The GEF, administered by the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank and
the United Nations Development Programme, has allocated US$60 million to change
technologies of the consumer product industries in Russia to ozone-friendly substitutes.
Closure of this production sector was considered essential to stop the flow of CFCs to
industrialized countries. 

The project's donors are Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden,
the United Kingdom and the United States.

Contact: Robert Bisset, Media and Communications Officer, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi,
Kenya, telephone +254-2/623084, fax +254-2/623292, e-mail <robert.bisset@unep.org>,
website (www.unep.org) or OzonAction Programme, UNEP Industry and Environment
Office, Tour Mirabeau, 39-43 Quai Andre-Citro‰n, F-75739 Paris Cedex 15, France,
telephone +33-1/44 37 14 50, fax +33-1/44 37 14 74, e-mail <unepie@unep.fr>, website
(www.unepie.org).


NEW POLICIES FOR WORLD BANK LOANS
In August the World Bank announced a new loan policy that will increase charges on loans
made by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The IBRD
makes loans to creditworthy developing countries, so the change will not affect the poorest
countries that borrow exclusively from the International Development Association. The policy
applies to loans on which the invitation to negotiate was issued on or after 31 July 1998.

Under the new policy:
--    the spread that is charged borrowers above the Bank's funding costs will be increased
from the current 50 basis points (half of one percent) to 75 basis points (three-fourths of one
percent);
--    a front-end fee of 100 basis points (one percent of the loan amount) will be added, to
be payable when a loan becomes effective; and
--    the current commitment charge structure of 75 basis points (of which 50 basis points
are normally waived) will be maintained.

In recent years, the Bank has often waived 25 basis points of the interest rate spread for
countries that service their loans on time. The waiver will be reduced to five points for fiscal
year 1999. 

Before the new loan price policy, IBRD's loan charges were the lowest spread-equivalent
package of costs to borrowers when compared to other multilateral development banks such
as the Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, African Development
Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The new loan price
structure will put the Bank in the mid-range among multilateral development banks.


WORLD BANK APPROVES LOAN TO FIGHT AIDS
In September the World Bank, one of six co-sponsors of the Joint United Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), approved the largest loan ever to slow the spread of AIDS and
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Latin America. The US$165 million loan to Brazil will
finance activities to help reduce the incidence of HIV and STD infection, and expand and
improve diagnosis, treatment and care of infected persons. As of August 1997, Brazil had the
fourth largest number of AIDS cases in the world, with an estimated 116,000 registered cases. 

The project will expand upon the government's ongoing nationwide campaign to slow the
spread of HIV and STDs, which the Bank also helped finance. The government's programme
focuses on changing people's behaviours; providing services for high-risk groups;
implementing community-based interventions with the help of NGOs; and setting up
counselling and testing services. The project will give priority to high-risk groups such as drug
users and commercial sex workers but will also reach out to the broader population,
particularly through reproductive health services. The total project cost is estimated at
US$300 million.



 UNCTAD CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT
Senior government officials from African countries and representatives of international
organizations met in Mauritius from 24-25 September at a conference on African
Development in Comparative Perspective. The objective of the event, organized by the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was to re-examine international
and national policies that could accelerate growth and investment in Africa and translate the
continent's recent economic recovery into sustained development.

The African economic recovery, which began in 1994, has given grounds for renewed
optimism both within and outside the continent. However, the recovery is patchy. It has not
been underpinned by a strong investment performance, and it is highly vulnerable to a
downturn in commodity prices such as recently took place. Despite multiple adjustment
efforts, structural constraints and institutional weaknesses continue to prevent, or limit,
domestic economies from improving their supply capacity. Moreover, Africa has continued to
receive minimal flows of foreign direct investment.

Rapid trade and financial liberalization coupled with the withdrawal of government from
agricultural marketing has resulted in a new set of problems for policy makers. The room for
manoeuvre by governments is still severely limited by states' foreign debt overhang. The
post-Uruguay Round trading environment has limited some policy options, but has also
provided new opportunities not yet fully exploited.

In this context, a rethinking of international and domestic policy approaches is required in
order to translate the current recovery into stronger and sustained growth. This calls for
pragmatism, drawing lessons from experience gained during the adjustment programmes, as
well as from the earlier drive for national development.

Such a process of reflection and stock-taking could be fruitfully animated by putting African
development experience in a comparative perspective. The conference aimed to provide such
an opportunity, drawing in particular on lessons from experiences in East Asia and elsewhere.

Contact: Charles Gore, Technical Adviser, Macroeconomic and Development Policies,
Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations,
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/907 5944, fax +41-22/907 0274, e-mail
<charles.gore@unctad.org>.


ILO WORLD EMPLOYMENT REPORT
The number of unemployed and underemployed workers around the world has never been
higher and will grow by millions more before the end of the year as a result of the financial
crisis in Asia and other parts of the world, according to the International Labour Office's
(ILO) World Employment Report 1998-99.

"The global employment situation is grim, and getting grimmer," said Michel Hansenne, ILO
Director General. "The world financial crisis has put immense pressure on globalization, and
we fear that many governments may begin turning their backs on much needed economic
reforms. But globalization per se is not the problem." Beyond the current financial turmoil,
many nations are suffering from long-term employment problems that can be solved only
through the combined action of governments, trade unions and employer organizations.
Among measures to increase competitiveness, growth and employment in a globalizing world
economy, the report stresses the critical role of a high-quality, educated and skilled workforce.

Among the highlights of the report are:
--    some one billion workers one-third of the world's labour force remain unemployed or
underemployed;
--    between 25%-30% of the world's workers or between 750 million and 900 million
people are underemployed, either working substantially less than full-time but wanting to
work longer or earning less than a living wage; and
--    some 60 million young people, between the ages of 15 and 24, are in search of work
but cannot find it.

"The first half of 1998 has actually seen economic growth in many parts of the world," said
Mr. Hansenne. "However, this revival, which we anticipated would spur higher jobs growth in
all parts of the world, has only cut unemployment and underemployment in the United States,
and to a lesser degree in the European Union. Stubbornly persisting high levels of
unemployment and underemployment lead to social exclusion of the young and the old, the
less skilled, the disabled and ethnic minority groups with a strong bias against women in all
categories."

The report said that worker training provides the single best way to resolve this problem
among unemployed women, youths, workers trapped in the informal sector and other
vulnerable groups such as older workers, the long-term unemployed and workers with
disabilities. "Nations facing rapid globalization and competitive pressure need to invest in skills
development and training in their workforce," it said. "Training and education were at the
heart of Southeast Asia's economic miracle and could well provide a way out of
under-development and poverty for millions of workers in other parts of the world."

Contact: Luis Cabrera, Publications, ILO, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22,
Switzerland, telephone +41-22/799 7584, fax +41-22/799 8578, e-mail <cabrera@ilo.org>. 


1999 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF OLDER PERSONS
Events to launch the 1999 International Year of Older Persons were held on 1 October in
Geneva, New York and other cities around the world. The theme of the international year,
Towards a Society for All Ages, was highlighted at the United Nations in Geneva by Gro
Harlem Brundtland, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Among other
things, she stressed the importance of awareness raising in improving the quality of older life,
and the challenges for governments, civil society and others to respond to the growing
increase in the absolute and relative numbers of older people in both developed and developing
countries. 

Projections into the 21st century show that by the year 2020 the number of elderly people
worldwide will reach more than 1000 million, with over 700 million in developing countries.
The emerging social and public health consequences of population ageing pose new and
serious challenges for national and international public health authorities. For example in the
majority of developing countries, lack of social security schemes, poverty, continuing
urbanization and other factors are contributing to the erosion of traditional forms of care for
older people. 

The key components of recent WHO programmes on population ageing, which stress "healthy
ageing," include database strengthening, dissemination of information, advocacy,
community-based programmes, research, training and policy development. Awareness among
policy- and decision-makers about the speed of population ageing and its health consequences
is low, according to WHO, especially in developing countries. National policies on ageing
should rely on the results of research aimed at cost-effective public health interventions to
improve the quality of life in old age. Such results need to be widely shared among countries. 

Contact: Alexandre Sidorenko, Coordinator for the International Year of Older Persons,
United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 0500, fax
+1-212/963 3062, website (www.un.org./esa/socdev/iyop) or Igor Rozov, Social Change and
Mental Health, WHO, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone
+41-22/791 2532, fax +41-22/791 4858, e-mail <rozovi@who.ch>, website (www.who.ch).


FAO STRATEGY ON FARM ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES
With the erosion of animal genetic resources continuing around the world, the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched in September a new online
and offline computer-based system to help countries sustainably use and develop their
irreplaceable domestic animal species and breeds.

"A major milestone has been reached in the implementation of the Global Strategy for the
Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources with the launch of the second stage of FAO's
Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS)," said Keith Hammond, Senior
Officer in FAO's Animal Genetic Resources Group.

The new stage of DAD-IS is a multi-language system, available on the Internet and on
CD-ROM. It operates as a clearinghouse mechanism for the global strategy, providing a vital
link among farmers, scientists and policymakers. It will enable them to exchange views,
information and experiences, thus helping countries develop strong networks to design and
implement cost-effective action plans for managing the genetic resources of all domestic farm
species and breeds.

"Animal genetic resources are being eroded in both developed and developing countries,"
according to Mr. Hammond. "The latest information we have indicates that 30% of the
world's domestic animal breeds are at risk of extinction." FAO estimates that directly and
indirectly, domestic animals supply around 30% of total human requirements for food and
agriculture, and about two billion people depend at least partly on them for their livelihoods.

DAD-IS includes a databank that currently contains facts and figures on 5300 breeds
developed by farmers and animal breeders of 180 countries over the past 12,000 years from
just 35 species. Users can obtain information on breed features, population size, location,
production and performance characteristics, as well as details of adaptive qualities and
preliminary information describing the production environments in which these breeds are
developing.

"Most adapted animal genetic resources are not being developed to meet the food and
agriculture imperatives. Increasing the performance of the majority of the world's livestock,
located in the developing world, through genetics will sustainably increase food security and
reduce foreign exchange costs," Mr. Hammond said. "The challenge to achieve food security
for all is greater now than it has ever been before, with one out of six people in the world
currently underfed."

A major threat to the diversity of local breeds in developing countries has been the
indiscriminate introduction of exotic breeds that do well in developed countries, but require a
large and continuous supply of expensive inputs of feeding and health control and are not bred
for long life, so important for medium and low input production systems. Frequently these
exotic breeds have not reproduced or survived as well in developing countries as locally
adapted breeds, which also tend to retain significant genetic diversity that enables them to
adapt over time to changing environmental conditions.

Contact: John Riddle, Information Officer, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100
Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 3259, fax +39-06/5705 3699, e-mail
<john.riddle@fao.org>.


IFAD LATIN AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Venezuelan Foundation
for Training and Applied Research on Agrarian Reform (CIARA) have signed a US$800,000
grant agreement to finance the second phase of the Regional Training Programme in Rural
Development.

A previous IFAD grant of US$1.2 million contributed to the establishment of the training
programme in six countries of  Latin America and the Caribbean: Brazil, Colombia, Cuba,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Venezuela. 

The new grant will be used to improve training services in rural development through already
established networks set up during the first phase. It also will go toward generating conditions
to ensure sustainability of the training process through development of fundraising activities
and the sale of services. Complimentary activities will include publications, development of an
information system, exchange visits, meetings with other regional programmes, and
improvement of local monitoring and evaluation capabilities and skills. 


SOUTH-SOUTH SUMMIT PLANNED FOR 1999
The Group of 77 is preparing to mark the new millennium with a summit aimed at reasserting
the solidarity of the world's 132 developing nations. Indonesia, which heads the G-77 for
1998, has offered to host the South-South Summit, which is expected to formulate proposals
on a new platform for action for developing countries for the year 2000 and beyond. The
initiative to convene the summit was taken at the G-77 meeting in Costa Rica in early 1997,
and was subsequently endorsed by the annual G-77 ministerial meeting in September 1997.
The summit is expected to take place in late 1999, a few months before the proposed UN
Millennium General Assembly.

The central focus of the summit will be to determine what developing countries can do
collectively to improve their development opportunities and defend their interests within the
context of globalization, trade liberalization and interdependence. Particular attention will be
devoted to the volatility of capital markets, exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in
resource flows and the cost of borrowing.

At a G-77 high-level advisory meeting held in Jakarta (Indonesia) from 10-11 August during
which summit plans were elaborated, officials emphasized the need for the UN to become
more influential in the international economic arena. They called for the establishment of
mechanisms to oversee financial flows, and asked the UN to take a more active role in
working for fairer terms of trade between rich and poor countries. In a keynote address Ali
Alatas, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, noted that "it may be productive...to take a
hard look at existing arrangements for monitoring and regulating global capital and investment
flows. Your findings would help all of us understand the [economic] crisis and assess whether
or not current global arrangements are compatible or commensurate with the requirements for
sustained growth and sustainable development."

Officials underscored the decline of official development assistance (ODA), both in real terms
and as a percentage of donor country gross domestic product (GDP). They noted that this has
affected the availability of external resources of low-income countries, which have restricted
access to private sources. They also highlighted the importance of directing any official funds,
particularly those that come through the UN, to areas and projects in accordance with their
own policies and initiatives. 

Contact: Group of 77, Office of the Chairman, United Nations, Room S-3959, New York NY
10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 0192, fax +1-212/963 3515, e-mail
<g77_office@together.org>, website (www.g77.org).


UN AND NGO NEWS


WTO HOLDS FIRST NGO BRIEFING
About 20 NGOs attended the World Trade Organization's (WTO) first official briefing session
with NGOs, held 28 September at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable
Development (ICTSD) in Geneva. The meeting, held after calls for greater transparency at the
WTO's second ministerial meeting in May 1998 (see Go Between 69), reviewed outcomes of
the dispute settlement body meeting and the General Council special session on future WTO
negotiations, held the previous week. Participants also discussed how to best conduct NGO
briefings in the future, including how to ensure that NGOs not based in Geneva could have
rapid access to information disclosed at the briefings. A representative of ICTSD said the
Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest (see contacts below) will announce and report on all
future WTO briefings for NGOs. Peter Pederson, WTO External Relations Officer, outlined
other secretariat initiatives to improve relations with NGOs such as upgrading information for
them on the WTO website and circulating NGO documents to member states.

Contact: Peter Pederson, 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, website (www.wto.org) or Andrew Crosby, Programme Director,
ICTSD, 13 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219 Chƒtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland, telephone
+41-22/979 9492, fax +41-22/979 9093,    e-mail <andrew.crosby@ictsd.ch>, website
(www.ictsd.org).


INTER-AFRICAN FOREIGN DEBT CONFERENCE
An Inter-African Foreign Debt Conference, organized by the Mozambique Debt Working
Group, was held in Maputo from 31 August-2 September. The conference brought together
more than 90 participants representing African and Northern civil society organizations
(CSOs), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the United Nations and
donor agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and government representatives from
Mozambique and Uganda.  

Participants recognized that while there are differences regarding development policies among
CSOs, governments and lending institutions, they all agreed that debt repayments should not
undermine fulfilment of human needs and rights including the right to food, shelter, clothing,
health, education, and a secure, safe and sustainable environment for human development and
growth.

Gra‡a Machel, former Education Minister of Mozambique, said that "creditors must accept
that the debt is unpayable and therefore must be cancelled." She noted that while debt
cancellation would cost creditors in the short-term, they would benefit in the medium- and
long-term and therefore should be seen as an investment in a new partnership. Ms. Machel
also argued for greater involvement of civil society in deciding on the use of funds released
through debt cancellation. 

CSO representatives also emphasized the necessity of people's participation in debt
negotiations, as embodied in the Arusha Charter for Popular Participation, and they pointed
out that political will is key in the effort to eliminate Africa's debt.

The World Bank/IMF Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative was singled out for
criticism by CSO participants, who stated that it will fail to achieve genuine debt sustainability
in Africa "because many countries were left out, others were declared sustainable, and only
several had qualified for a questionable level of debt relief before the year 2000" (see Go
Between 60).

CSOs also said that HIPC eligibility formulas ensure that countries that do qualify are obliged
to service debt repayment at a "sustainable" level, which went beyond their ability to safeguard
their own development priorities and needs. They said human development indicators are not
considered in the debt sustainability analysis. Jubilee 2000, a coalition of CSOs working
toward debt eradication, said Mozambique, seen as a test case for the HIPC, has gained little
from the debt relief. The coalition said that Mozambique continues to spend as much on debt
service as on health and education combined.

Contacts: Mozambique Debt Working Group, Avenida Ahmed Sekou Touri, 1957 CP 2223,
Maputo, Mozambique, fax +258-1/423140, e-mail <divida@zebra.uem.mz> or Jubilee 2000
Coalition, PO Box 100, London SE1 7RT, United Kingdom, telephone +44-171/401 999, fax
+44-171/401 3999, e-mail <mail@jubilee2000uk.org>, website
(www.oneworld.org/jubilee2000/).


DEBT NETWORK LAUNCHED
A regional organization known as the Economic Community of West African States Network
on Debt and Development (ECONDAD) was launched at a conference held 26-28 August in
Djeregbe (Benin). The network, which will represent civil society in 16 West African
countries, will focus on debt and development issues; disseminate information to members
through campaigns, lobbying and advocacy; and encourage NGOs to promote conversion of
debts in their respective countries to enhance development. The secretariat of the network will
be hosted by the African Network for Economic and Environmental Justice (ANEEJ) office in
Benin City (Nigeria). 

Participants at the conference requested the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to
review the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative with a view to making it more
"development-friendly and to actually tackle poverty." Among other things, participants said:
--    human development should take priority over debt payments; 
--    the concept of sustainability should be broadened to embrace human development and
the basic needs approach and take account of resource requirements for meeting basic needs,
such as education and health, in calculating sustainability or the ability to serve debt;
--    more genuine ownership by debtor countries and participation of civil society in reform
policy design and implementation is needed to ensure compliance with conditionalities; and
--    regular monitoring and evaluation of use of the funds available from debt relief could
be made more efficient if members of "civil society, especially genuine NGOs, are made use of.
This would not only be less costly, it would also avoid  window dressing' by government
officials when they know a [monitoring or evaluation] team is about to visit a country."

The conference was organized by ANEEJ in collaboration with the Pan African Centre for
Social Prospects and the European Network on Debt and Development (EURODAD), with
support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Oxfam-UK.

Contact: David Ugolor, Coordinator, ECONDAD, c/o ANEEJ Secretariat, 61 2nd Cementry
Road, PO Box 301, Uzebu Quarters, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, telephone
+234-52/258748, fax +234-52/250668, e-mail <aneej@.rcl.nig.com>.


ADVOCATES FOR AFRICAN FOOD SECURITY BRIEFING
On 15 September the Advocates for African Food Security, a coalition of UN agencies,
governmental organizations and NGOs, convened a meeting in New York on Food Security as
a Human Right.

Speakers included the coalition's new convenor, Bani Dugal Gujral of the Baha'i International
Community, who moderated a country perspectives discussion that underscored the concept
of food as a human right and included practical actions to be taken. Linda Elswick of the
International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture spoke on the adequacy and stability of food
supply and sustaining access. She emphasized the need to consider not only the quantity of
food available but the quality, and the need to practice sustainable agriculture at a time when
monoculture and other unsustainable practices are widespread. Ruth Engo, co-founder of the
coalition, briefed participants on the group's history and provided a definition of food security
in the context of human rights. Peter Mann of World Hunger Year discussed ways to ensure
that international recommendations on food security are implemented at the national level.

The coalition, established in 1986 during the General Assembly special session on the critical
economic situation in Africa, aims to raise awareness of the contributions African women
make to their nation's food security. It also advocates for policies and programmes that
effectively reduce the workloads of African women farmers while increasing their productivity.
From 1992-1996, the coalition organized symposia in New York on different aspects of food
security. It successfully worked with delegates to have language adopted on the subject,
including the need for resources and land, in the New Agenda for the Development of Africa
(NADAF).  During the mid-term review of NADAF in 1996, the coalition and the larger NGO
community successfully persuaded UN member states to include in their report
recommendations on the necessity of making food security one of the key issues of African
development.

Contact: Bani Dugal Gujral, Baha'i International Community, UN Office, 866 UN Plaza, Suite
120, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/803 2500, fax +1-212/803 2566,
e-mail <uno-nyc@bic.org>.


MEETING ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Five comprehensive regional studies addressing domestic violence against women were the
subject of a United Nations expert group meeting, held in New York from 18-20 August. The
meeting was hosted by the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)
of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The experts, each of whom authored one of the five studies, concluded the second phase of a
global project on domestic violence against women. The project, which is a collaborative
effort by Equality Now, a United States-based international women's rights organization and
the Division for the Advancement of Women, was funded by the Trust Fund in Support of
Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women, which is administered by the United Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The final outcome of the project will be a special
publication outlining measures and best practices introduced at the national level to address
domestic violence and identify innovative strategies for the future.  

During the project's first phase, which began earlier this year, studies were prepared by the
experts covering five regions of the world: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the
Caribbean, Western Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe.  

The overall objective of the project is to direct governments, regional bodies and civil society,
including NGOs, toward effective strategies at the national level. Its focus is on evaluation of
the impact of those strategies in eliminating domestic violence against women.

Contact: Jane Connors, Chief, Women's Rights Unit, DAW, United Nations, New York NY
10017, United States, fax +1-212/963 3463, e-mail <connorsj@un.org>.


SIXTH ANNUAL CLEAN UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN
The sixth annual Clean Up the World Campaign took place from 18-20 September in villages,
towns and cities around the world. The campaign, organized in conjunction with the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), receives grassroots support in more than 120
countries with more than 40 million volunteers. The campaign's organizing committees help
establish recycling centres, carry out environmental education campaigns, create reforestation
programmes and establish compost centres. 

"The Clean Up the World Campaign is a global success story," said Klaus T”pfer, UNEP
Executive Director. "The campaign has also established that the achievement of every single
individual in the defence of the environment, though significant when assessed alone, becomes
monumental when the global community acts in unison."

Clean Up the World was founded in 1993 by Ian Kiernan, an Australian. In support of the
1998 United Nations International Year of the Ocean, he urged volunteers to focus efforts on
cleaning their local beaches, rivers, canals and creeks in order to stem the flow of pollution in
the world's oceans. Activities varied from underwater clean-up by divers in the Maldives to
that of archaeological sites in Italy.

Contact: Clean Up the World, 117 Harris St. Pyrmont, Sydney NSW 2009, Australia,
telephone +61-2/9692 0700, fax +61-2/9692 0761, e-mail <world@cleanup.com.au>, website
(www.cleanuptheworld.org.au/).


FINANCING CLEANER PRODUCTION
Recognizing the importance of financing cleaner and safer production investments in
developing countries working toward achieving sustainable development, Norway is
supporting a three-year project in five countries: Guatemala, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Viet Nam
and Zimbabwe. The project will be coordinated by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), World Bank, International Finance Corporation, United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the
International Chamber of Commerce.
Projects in the five countries, all with different degrees of industrialization and different
environmental problems, will demonstrate how the financing of cleaner production investments
can be facilitated, both in existing industrial facilities as well as in new industrial
establishments.
Contact: UNEP Industry and Environment Office, Tour Mirabeau, 39-43 Quai Andre-Citro‰n,
F-75739 Paris Cedex 15, France, telephone +33-1/44 37 14 50 , fax +33-1/44 37 14 74, e-mail
<unepie@unep.fr>, website (www.unepie.org).



NGO NEWS

NEW CHILD SPONSORSHIP STANDARDS APPROVED
The InterAction Executive Committee, which met in September in New York, has approved
for consideration a new set of standards that reflect the "best practices" of child sponsorship
members. Over the past several years child sponsorship agencies have discussed how to
continuously improve the quality of their services, and in 1997 the process was formalized
when InterAction created a Child Sponsorship Advisory Panel. Its task was to review
programmes and make recommendations on possible additions to InterAction's standards for
private voluntary organizations.

All six of InterAction's child sponsorship members have agreed to the panel's basic operating
principles, which include:
--    members that promise or imply benefits to sponsored children in their marketing
materials shall have procedures in place to document that children in sponsored families
receive the advertised benefits; 
--    members that pool sponsorship contributions to support child-focused community
development projects shall ensure that children in sponsored families are among the principal
beneficiaries of the projects; and 
--    members shall clearly communicate to sponsors their definition of benefit to sponsored
children, and shall periodically communicate the indicators used to monitor and evaluate these
benefits.

The new standards will now be presented for ratification by InterAction's full membership.

Contact: InterAction, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 801, Washington DC 20036,
United States, telephone +1-202/667 8227, fax +1-202/667 8236.


EUROSTEP PAPER ON EU-ACP NEGOTIATIONS
On 28 September the European Solidarity Towards Equal Partnership of People (Eurostep), a
network of 22 non-confessional European non-governmental development organizations,
launched a position paper on The EU-ACP Negotiations: Goals and Challenges for 2000 at
the Development Council of the European Parliament in Brussels (Belgium).

When introducing the paper Simon Stocker, Director of Eurostep, stressed the importance of
poverty eradication the principal objective in both the European Union and the African,
Caribbean and Pacific countries' (ACP) negotiating mandates. He said implementation of the
new EU-ACP agreement should be continuously assessed against this objective. Mr. Stocker
also outlined what he described as five crucial aspects of the proposed agreement between the
two parties: partnership and political dialogue; participation of civil society; trade and
investment; investing in social development; and conflict prevention.

Among other things, Mr. Stocker said the new agreement should strive to make partnership
between the EU and ACP more of a reality than it has been in the past. Among measures
needed to ensure this are the recognition of non-state actors such as civil society and the
private sector, and facilitation of their involvement as partners in the dialogue. He also said the
agreement needs to be more transparent and accessible.

Contact: Simon Stocker, Director, Eurostep, 115 rue Stevin, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium,
telephone +32-2/231 1659, fax +32-2/231 1659, e-mail <eurostep@knooppunt.be>.


WORLDAID '98 CONFERENCE HELD
The second WorldAid conference, held in Geneva from 6-8 October, focused on the impact of
unprecedented economic, technological and political change upon the roles, responsibilities
and boundaries of the humanitarian aid community. 

Participants from aid agencies, academic and research institutions, governments, international
organizations, NGOs and the private sector participated in sessions focused on the theme of
The Future for Aid. Issues discussed included the development dimension in disasters; raising
new standards in aid; media, markets and messages in crisis; managing the transition from war
to peace; and rebuilding cities, societies and nations. Workshops and other parallel events
focused on, among other things, the development dimensions in the El Ni¤o catastrophe; the
value of the Internet in crises and relief; and enhancing the effectiveness of food aid. Also
organized were a global forum of NGOs for disaster reduction, and meetings of Southern
NGOs and networks.

Contact: WorldAid  98 Secretariat, PO Box 112, CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland,
telephone +41-22/761 1111, fax +41-22/798 0100, e-mail <info@worldaid.org>, website
(www.worldaid.org).


FOCUS

TDR  98: FOCUS ON EAST ASIAN CRISIS AND AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT

The Trade and Development Report 1998 (TDR), published by the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), takes a firm stand against the
deflationary response coordinated by the International Monetary Fund in the aftermath of the
East Asian crisis. The report also questions some aspects of the structural adjustment policies
pursued in Africa and calls for an independent assessment of the sustainability of African debt.

LESSONS OF THE EAST ASIAN CRISIS

The report says UNCTAD has been warning since 1990 that in the absence of more collective
control and guidance over international finance, the structural vulnerability of a deregulated
international monetary and financial system carries the potential for an extremely costly crisis.
"[The] warnings fell on deaf ears," says the report. "Since then the world economy has
witnessed further bouts of financial instability at roughly two-yearly intervals....Each time, the
prevailing approaches have been based on the notion of the infallibility of markets and on an
explanation of the crisis in terms of misguided domestic policies. Turning a blind eye to the
systemic nature of financial instability is neither responsible nor acceptable....Further policy
errors may well drive the world economy into deep recession."

Economic and Social Impacts of the Crisis
According to the report, "modern financial markets are organized less to create wealth and
employment than to extract rent by buying and selling second-hand assets, and the  discipline'
these markets exert on policy-makers reinforces the advantages of existing wealth holders." As
financial markets expand and integration deepens, "each episode of crisis comes with greater
force, inflicting greater damage on the real economy." East Asian countries, which for years
enjoyed annual growth rates of 8%-10%, maintained full employment and made significant
achievements toward eradicating poverty, are now suffering a severe economic contraction. In
Indonesia, output in 1998 is projected to decline by at least 12% and in the Republic of Korea
and Thailand by 6%-8%. Unemployment, underemployment and poverty are reaching alarming
levels, and as the crisis drags on it will be increasingly difficult for the "new poor" to recover
from deprivation and return to their previous occupations and living standards. The global
ramifications of the crisis suggest that the tendency noted in the 1997 edition of the Trade and
Development Report of a widening income gap between the North and South (see NGLS
Roundup, November 1997) can be expected to continue. "Developing countries are trapped in
a corner," says this year's report. "To lessen the risk of contagion, many emerging markets
have introduced pre-emptive monetary and fiscal restrictions in an attempt to maintain market
confidence and to reduce their vulnerability to a reversal of capital flows. In so doing they
have choked domestic demand and lowered growth prospects still further."

Critique of the International Response
The report argues that the international policy response, because of its deflationary effects,
"contributed to the severity of the crisis by failing to appreciate the full gravity of the situation,
and by placing too much faith in conventional policy prescriptions." The hike in interest rates
not only failed to restore market confidence under conditions of panic, it "added to the woes
of debtors, forcing them to cut down on their activity and liquidate assets, while economies
were driven into deep recession....External financing was used not to support the domestic
currency and stop the exchange rate losses of unhedged debtors, but to maintain convertibility
and free capital flows." The report adds that market confidence was not helped by official
pronouncements on the alleged structural weaknesses of the economies in crisis.
According to the report a major drawback of the type of financial assistance coordinated by
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in recent years, which usually comes only after the
collapse of the currency, is that the resulting bailouts have been designed to meet the demands
of creditors and prevent default. In practice, these measures protect creditors from bearing the
costs of their decisions, thus shifting the entire burden to debtors and creating "moral hazard"
for creditors. The report also emphasizes potential political reactions to the prevailing
approach. "The events of the past year," it says, "should serve to underline the warning in last
year's Trade and Development Report of a potential backlash against the contradictions of a
globalizing world. When a colossal global market failure and measures taken to bail out
creditors are paid for at the expense of the living standards of ordinary people, and of stability
and development in the debtor developing countries concerned, who is to say that justice has
been served?"

Safety net measures can act as a palliative, but they are not a lasting solution, according to the
report. Policy should shift from "deflation" to "reflation" by supporting the unemployed
through lowering interest rates, expanding liquidity and raising public expenditure, "thus
breaking out of a vicious circle that could do incalculable harm."

Crises Management and Prevention
Given the increasingly private nature of developing countries' external debt coupled with the
political obstacles to ever-larger bailouts, the report calls for a very different response to
managing financial crises. Appropriate measures, it says, would allow for a standstill on debt
servicing to ward off predatory investors and give a country the breathing space needed to
design a debt reorganization plan. This in turn would help prevent the initial liquidity crisis
from escalating into a solvency crisis. Article VIII of the IMF's Articles of Agreement could
provide the legal basis for the application of debt standstills through the imposition of
exchange controls if a currency comes under "attack" by speculators. The decision to impose a
standstill, which could be taken unilaterally by the nation experiencing a currency attack,
would then be submitted for approval to an independent panel rather than the IMF to avoid a
conflict of interest with the Fund's shareholders.  

The report, which explores different means of preventing future financial crises, says
strengthened prudential regulation can reduce the likelihood of financial crises. However it
notes "experience indicates that, owing to the vulnerability of the financial sector to changes in
economic conditions and to unavoidable imperfections in the regulatory process itself, even a
state-of-the-art system of financial regulation does not provide fail-safe crisis prevention." The
report says elements for a more effective prevention policy framework include adopting an
approach to policy surveillance that addresses external factors, such as "unidirectional
impulses from changes in the monetary policies of the United States and a few other OECD
countries [members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] which
exert a strong influence on capital movements and exchange rates. There are no mechanisms
under the existing system of global economic governance for dispute settlement or redress
regarding these impulses."

Another major tool for financial crisis prevention is the freedom for developing country
policy-makers to introduce capital controls a proven technique already used by a number of
developed and developing nations for dealing with volatile capital flows. However, the report
notes that current global initiatives regarding the international financial system tend to favour
the contrary; they "could reduce the autonomy and flexibility of national policymakers in
introducing measures needed to protect their economies from volatile and speculative capital
flows." In particular, the report refers to the current initiative to reform the IMF's Articles of
Agreement to include liberalization of capital movements among the organization's purposes
and to provide a formal extension of its jurisdiction to such movements. The report warns that
should such an amendment be approved, it could have knock-on effects on the rules of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) which stipulate that when a nation has recourse to
restrictions to safeguard its balance of payments, these restrictions are to be consistent with its
obligations under the IMF's Articles of Agreement. "The proposed extension of the Fund's
formal jurisdiction to capital transactions," the report warns, "might thus result in a reduction
of countries' existing autonomy regarding control of capital under the WTO regime."  

In addition to capital controls at the national level, the report encourages regional consultation
and collaboration, which it says could play an important role in preventing currency disorders
and contagion effects. It also reviews additional proposals for exerting tighter control over
international lenders and investors. Some of these would require "new and far-reaching
international agreements," it says, "which might be difficult to achieve owing to uncertainties
with regard to their effectiveness or to the concentration of power which they would entail."
In the absence of global mechanisms for stabilizing capital flows, the report concludes that
"flexibility regarding governments' options rather than the imposition of new constraints is
required."


GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

The second part of the report focuses on the economic situation in Africa. Since 1995 Africa
has been enjoying positive per capita income growth, which peaked at 4.6% in 1996 before
dropping to 3.3% in 1997 after two decades of almost continuous economic decline. The
report attributes much of this recovery to a 25% rise in non-oil commodity export prices
between 1993 and 1996, better weather conditions and diminished civil strife in a number of
countries. However, it warns that even if the growth of the past three years could be sustained
in the coming decade, "that would not reverse the marginalization of the region or make much
dent in widespread poverty, and would do little more than recover the ground lost during the
past two decades."

Reassessing Adjustment Policies
The report says the challenge is turning the recovery into a "stronger and sustained economic
take-off, with the aim of attaining the 6 per cent growth target for Africa set by the United
Nations." This would require a comprehensive reassessment of policy reforms undertaken in
the region, which have emphasized macro-economic stability, a reduced role for the state,
greater reliance on market forces, and a rapid opening up to international competition. The
report, while acknowledging that greater macro-economic stability and removal of large price
distortions have made an important contribution to economic recovery, emphasizes that
"despite many years of policy reform, barely any country in the region has successfully
completed its adjustment programme with a return to sustained growth. Indeed, the path from
adjustment to improved performance is, at best, a rough one and, at worst, a disappointing
dead-end." Indeed, only three out of the 15 countries identified by the World Bank as "core
adjusters" are now classified by the IMF as "strong performers."

The report argues that mainstream assessments of Africa's growth prospects "have almost
invariably proved over-optimistic, largely because they have been based on an act of faith in
growth-enhancing market forces, rather than on a careful examination of constraints and
opportunities." In particular, policy reforms in Africa have failed to bring about what is
essential for economic take-off: an investment recovery. "Public investment has borne the
brunt of the adjustment impact, but private investment has not, as conventional wisdom might
suggest, stepped into the breach," says the report. "Indeed, as a share of [gross domestic
product], it is lower than in the 1970s."  

In addition trade policy reforms have been dominated by concepts of non-distortion, to be
attained through low and uniform tariffs "rather than by pragmatism." Imports of luxury and
other consumer goods often receive the same treatment as imported intermediate and capital
goods, which has created difficulties for domestic firms competing against imports and for
enterprises with export potential. Agricultural liberalization has not increased the proportion
of export prices received by farmers, because private traders operating in imperfect and
underdeveloped markets have captured most of the benefit. Finally, interest rates are high and
unstable because financial liberalization has been allowed to take place without first ensuring
the conditions for its success.

External Constraints 
The report also argues that mainstream assessments and the policy advice proffered have not
always taken proper account of external constraints. In particular declining export prices and a
sharp deterioration in external financial conditions in the early 1980s were not offset by rises in
official development assistance (ODA), which has accounted for less than 15% of trade losses.
The report also points to the "constraints of the new trading regime," which prohibit the use of
some key policy tools to promote exports and protect infant industries, such as trade-related
subsidies, imposing conditions on foreign direct investment and flexible enforcement of
intellectual property rights all of which the report says "were integral parts of the East Asian
development strategy." The report recommends African nations use as much as possible
exemptions under WTO agreements to provide selective support to industry in a manner that
would be time-bound and closely tied to performance criteria.

Reassessing African Debt
The report, which emphasizes strongly the crippling effects of African debt on long-term
growth, says that "Africa's external debt burden is having a severe adverse impact on
investment and renewed growth. Not only does it impede public investment in physical and
human infrastructure, but also it deters private investment, including foreign investment." The
report points out that 80% of Africa's debt is owed to official creditors, a good deal of which
it says is simply unpayable. It also stresses that two-thirds of the increase in debt since 1988
has been due to arrears, which by 1996 had reached over US$64 billion or more than
one-fourth of total debt stock.

Although it says the recent World Bank/IMF Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
Initiative is more comprehensive and equitable than earlier debt initiatives, the report argues
that debt relief for Africa is still insufficient and too slow. It calls for an urgent assessment of
the sustainability of African debt, to be undertaken by an independent body composed of
eminent persons experienced in finance and development and appointed by agreement between
creditors and debtors. In such an arrangement, creditors would have to commit to implement
the recommendations swiftly and fully.

Contact: Yilmaz Akyuz, Officer-in-Charge, Macroeconomic and Development Policies
Branch, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone
+41-22/907 5841, fax +41-22/907 0048, e-mail <yilmaz.akyuz@unctad.org>.



UNDP: RUNAWAY CONSUMPTION WIDENS GAP BETWEEN RICH, POOR

The human consequences of current consumption patterns are unacceptably high according to
the Human Development Report 1998, published by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP). Gross inequalities in consumption opportunities have excluded over one
billion people, who cannot meet their basic consumption requirements. The report also
stresses that poor people and poor countries pay most heavily for the environmental costs of
over-consumption.

Global consumption of goods and services will top US$24 trillion this year, six times the
figure for 1975, according to the report. People are consuming more in food, energy,
education, transportation, communication and entertainment than ever before. But such figures
mask gross inequalities in consumption opportunities. Among the 4.4 billion people who live
in developing countries, almost three-fifths live in communities without basic sanitation;
almost one-third are without safe drinking water; one-fourth lack adequate housing; one-fifth
live beyond the reach of modern health services; and one-fifth of children are undernourished
and do not go as far as grade five in school.

Runaway Growth in Consumption
Runaway growth in consumption is placing unprecedented pressures on the environment
through pollution, waste and the growing deterioration of renewables: water, soil, forests, fish
and biodiversity. Twenty-five percent of fish stocks are depleted, and another 44% are being
fished to their biological limit. Since 1970 wooded areas have fallen from 11.4 square
kilometres to 7.3 per 1000 inhabitants. One-sixth of the world's land area is now degraded as
a result of overgrazing and poor farming practices. Wild species are becoming extinct at a rate
50-100 times faster than they would naturally. And the global availability of water has dropped
from 17,000 cubic metres per capita in 1950 to 7000 today. 

The report says poor people benefit least and suffer the most painful consequences of
unsustainable consumption patterns. Although deforestation is concentrated in developing
countries, more than one-half the wood and nearly three-fourths of the resulting paper is used
in industrialized countries. Almost one billion people in 40 developing countries rely on fish as
their main source of protein, but wasteful marine harvesting and fish processing has pushed up
prices and reduced the availability of fish for the poor. One-fifth of the world's people living in
the highest-income countries contribute 53% of the carbon dioxide emissions that fuel global
warming. The poorest one-fifth contribute just 3% but live in communities that are most
vulnerable to coastal flooding.

Globalization is integrating consumer markets through "fierce competition to sell to
consumers worldwide, with increasingly aggressive advertising." As a result, national
boundaries are breaking down in social standards setting. This is creating "global elites" who
follow the same consumption styles, reinforcing social exclusion for those who lack the
income to keep up with the pressures of "competitive spending." The advertising boom, which
now outpaces the growth of the world economy by one-third, also raises serious concerns of
consumer rights abuse in the absence of a well-informed consumer base in many countries or
well-regulated commercial advertising industries.

Agenda for Action
According to the report, "the real issue is not consumption itself but its patterns and
effects....The strategic choices of rich countries as the world's dominant consumers, will be
critical in determining the future." Such choices will include a shift from consuming material
goods to consuming services, and adopting technologies that diminish the environmental
impact of consumption. The strategic choice facing developing countries, according to the
report, is whether they will repeat the industrialization and growth processes of the past
century, with inequitable patterns that create a legacy of pollution, or whether they can
"leapfrog" to growth patterns that are "pro-environment and pro-poor." The report identifies
actions already taken in some poor countries to adopt cheap, effective and less politically
contentious anti-pollution policies, dispelling the myth that such possibilities are limited.  

Five Central Goals
The report outlines five central goals that should guide national and international strategies to
create an enabling environment for sustainable consumption:
--    raise the consumption levels of the more than one billion people who have been left out
of the consumption explosion; 
--    move to more sustainable consumption patterns that reduce environmental damage,
improve efficiency in resource use and regenerate renewable resources including freshwater
supplies, soil, fish stocks and forests; 
--    protect and promote the rights of consumers to information, product safety and access
to the goods they need; 
--    discourage patterns of consumption that have a negative impact on society and that
reinforce inequalities and poverty; and
--    achieve more equitable burden-sharing among nations to diminish and prevent damage
to the environment and reduce poverty.

Poverty Amidst Affluence
The report also introduces innovative poverty measurements for industrial societies. It reveals
growing social exclusion and deprivation within the world's richest nations: more than 100
million people have incomes below the poverty line, at least 37 million are unemployed, 100
million are homeless, and almost 200 million have a life expectancy of less than 60 years. "The
numbers are shockingly high, amid the affluence," said James Gustave Speth, UNDP
Administrator. "More is not invariably better. Progress must be more evenly distributed." In
terms of addressing human poverty, Sweden ranks best although it is 13th in terms of average
income among the industrialized nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD). The United States ranks last with almost 16.5% of its population living
in poverty, although the country enjoys a booming economy, low unemployment and ranks
highest in terms of per capita income. "The extent of human poverty has little to do with the
average level of income," the report observes. Although the United Kingdom and the
Netherlands have similar average incomes, the former has almost twice the percentage of
people in poverty. Nations that have managed to reduce disparities have followed a conscious
path emphasizing equitable distribution of the benefits of progress. 

Contact: Division of Public Affairs, UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States,
telephone +1-212/906 5000, fax +1-212/906 5001, e-mail <hq@undp.org> or UNDP, Geneva
Executive Centre, 11-13 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219 Chƒtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland,
telephone +41-22/979 9537, fax +41-22/979 9001.


THE STATE OF WORLD POPULATION 1998: THE NEW GENERATIONS

More young people than ever are entering their childbearing and working years, according to
the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) annual report The State of World Population.
At the same time, the number and proportion of people over age 65 are increasing at an
unprecedented rate. Our future, says UNFPA, will be shaped by how well families and
societies meet the needs of these growing "new generations."

Thanks to unprecedented efforts over the last 30 years, the momentum of population growth
has slowed, and could slow still further in the coming decades. At the same time, world
population is growing at over 80 million a year and will only gradually fall from these levels. In
1987, total world population was five billion; it will pass six billion in 1999, and will continue
to grow until at least the middle of the next century.

Transformation and Momentum
Greater numbers of people are living to older ages, and higher proportions than at any time in
the past of most countries' populations are living to at least 60 years. Today there are more
than 578 million people over 60, and this generation is growing at an unprecedented rate. At
the same time, unprecedented numbers of teenagers, the result of past high fertility, are
growing towards adulthood. There are over 1.05 billion young people between 15 and 24
today. The impact of these "new generations" will reverberate throughout the 21st century. 

There are still 71 countries and territories in the world with more than 40% of their population
under age 15. Forty-four of these countries are in Africa, 12 in Asia, eight in the Arab States
and seven in Latin America. In the least developed countries, the proportion of adolescents
aged 10-19 peaked during 1975-1990 at around 45% of the population. "Currently," said the
report, "the proportions are 34% (less developed), 19% (more developed) and  43% (least
developed)."

Young People: Preparing for Life
"As the largest-ever generation of young people enters the preparatory stages of adulthood,"
said the report, "society's obligation to address their educational and health needs is more
critical than ever." For example, enabling young women to exercise greater control over their
sexual and reproductive lives helps ensure their contribution to development. Early marriage is
still the norm in some regions, closing women's opportunities for education and employment;
but in most regions fewer adolescents are married than in the past. 

With a wider gap between puberty and marriage, sexual activity outside marriage has
increased. Nevertheless, many in authority are unwilling even to acknowledge teenage
sexuality. Poor or missing information, policy barriers, or discouragement by care providers
prevent many young people, even married ones, from using protection against unwanted
pregnancy or from seeking help from health services. Family planning services, said the report,
"must address adolescents and their sexuality openly and honestly, provide more options,
sensitive counseling and better information to promote effective use of the most appropriate
means of contraception."

Intergenerational Relations
Demographic change, increases in life expectancy and new economic opportunities are
changing people's expectations and relations between generations. Surveys of women of
reproductive age show a steady decrease in desired family size, due in part to better access to
and knowledge about contraception, as well as to education and higher infant survival rates.
"Parents will have fewer children to support them in old age," said the report, "but parents
increasingly do not expect that their children will support them, at least financially." 

A variety of forms of support for the elderly will become more important as people live longer
and more independently. More families will have both older and younger dependents. Women
provide most care to elderly family members, but this support is eroding as more daughters
and daughters-in-law are going to work. 

The concept of retirement is also changing. In less developed countries, few older
people especially women occupy formal sector jobs in which the concept is meaningful. "A
trend towards earlier retirement in industrialized countries has recently reversed," observed the
report, "while growing numbers of older persons engage in part-time work or volunteer
activities." Many industrialized countries, concerned that the large new generation of older
people will strain public-sector pension funds and health systems, are considering social
security reforms such as increasing the age of eligibility, raising contributions and introducing
private-sector financing. 

Extending Life and Health
By 2150, projected life expectancies in developed countries will be 87.5 years for men and
92.5 for women, and in developing countries nearly 82 for men and over 86 for women 21
years longer than today. "Aging populations will strain medical systems in many developing
countries," said the report, "which are still struggling to protect the health of younger age
groups. The burden of disease will shift to older ages over the next several decades." Deaths
from cancers will increase in all regions; in Asia they may exceed deaths from infectious
diseases by 2015. The report cautioned that this change does not justify reorienting health
services toward treatment of diseases affecting older people, at the expense of improving
preventive programmes and services for poorer and less healthy people of all ages.

Maximizing Resources for the New Generations
The rapid growth of adolescent and elderly population demands a considerable investment in:
heath care, including reproductive health information and services; education and job training
for the young; and social and financial support for the elderly. 

Better health, social and financial support services will take the place of large families in
providing for old age; encourage smaller, healthier, better-educated families; and enable older
people to remain healthy, independent and productive longer. This calls for integrated service
delivery, better information systems, better data on medical interventions and preventive
measures, and innovative steps to bolster community action and volunteer organizations. 

Contact: UN Publications, 2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-853, New York NY 10017, United States,
fax +1-212/963 3489, e-mail <publications@un.org> or UN Publications, Palais des Nations,
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, fax +41-22/917 0027, e-mail <unpubli@unog.ch>, website
(www.un.org).


WORLD BANK: NEED TO NARROW KNOWLEDGE GAP OF RICH AND POOR

The global explosion of knowledge now underway may lift hundreds of millions of the world's
poor out of poverty or it may create a widening knowledge gap in which poor countries lag
further and further behind, according to the World Bank's World Development Report
1998/99: Knowledge for Development.

New communications technology and plummeting computing costs are "shrinking distance and
eroding borders and time," said World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn, so that even
remote villages can tap into a rapidly expanding global store of knowledge. But the rapid
growth of knowledge is also "raising the danger that the poorest countries and communities
will fall behind more rapidly than ever before....In our enthusiasm for the Information Super
Highway we must not forget the villages and slums without telephones, electricity or safe
water, the primary schools without pencils, paper or books. For the poor, the promise of the
new information age knowledge for all can seem as remote as a distant star."

Knowledge Makes a Difference 
The report says low national incomes are not the only reason poor countries are less
prosperous than richer ones. Many developing countries lack the capability to acquire and
adapt the same economic, technical and social knowledge that has spurred many of the
world's development success stories. Since creating this know-how is often costly, industrial
countries have greater opportunities to use knowledge to obtain better health and rising
prosperity for their populations. 

Fortunately, nations can narrow the knowledge gap by putting in place policies to acquire and
adapt knowledge from abroad, and by making the most of indigenous knowledge. This can
greatly improve the living standards of their citizens. For example, 40 years ago Ghana had the
same per capita income as South Korea. By the early 1990s, Korea's per capita income was
six times higher than that of Ghana. Some development experts claim that at least half the
disparity can be explained by South Korea's greater success in acquiring and using knowledge. 

Poor countries also differ from rich in their pursuit of knowledge by having fewer public
institutions to safeguard the quality and truth of the information people need to lead healthy,
more affluent lives. Often there is no capacity to certify the quality of goods or services,
enforce standards and performance, and gather and disseminate key information needed for
business transactions. These types of problems especially hurt the poor.

The Ingredients of Knowledge 
The report focuses on two types of knowledge that it says are critical for developing
countries.
--    "How-to knowledge" such as nutrition, birth control, engineering or accounting.
Typically, developing countries have less know-how than industrial countries, and poor people
have less know-how than wealthier people. The report argues that closing these knowledge
gaps through education, better phone systems and openness to exchanges with foreign
countries, including trade can do much to help the world's poorest people improve their lives.
--    "Knowledge about attributes or characteristics" such as the quality of a product,
diligence of a worker or creditworthiness of a firm. The report, which describes this lack of
knowledge as "information problems," argues that this leads to market failures such as
lenders' refusal to offer loans to poor people because of the difficulty in assessing their ability
to repay.

Priorities to Bridge the Gap
The report recommends the following three types of action to enable developing countries
make the most of knowledge. First, developing countries should adopt policies to narrow the
knowledge gaps that separate them from rich countries. These include investing in education,
maintaining an open trading regime that brings foreign investment and licensing agreements,
removing barriers to competition in the telecommunications sector, and building on and
applying indigenous knowledge.

Second, governments, multilateral institutions, NGOs and the private sector must work
together to strengthen the mechanisms needed to resolve information problems. Examples of
such mechanisms include product standards, accounting systems, disclosure requirements,
credit reports as well as more innovative approaches to generate information through
self-revelation and peer monitoring. 

Third, governments must recognize that knowledge gaps and information problems cannot be
eliminated. Instead, by recognizing that knowledge is at the core of development efforts,
policy makers can sometimes discover unexpected solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Success Stories
The report offers many examples of how the effective use of knowledge has improved
economic growth and people's lives. Often simply narrowing the knowledge gap improving
education and bringing knowledge to bear on the problems of daily life can improve the
quality of people's lives. 

For example, in Viet Nam people living in households headed by someone with no education
have a poverty rate of 68%. Primary education for the household head brings the rate down to
54%, secondary education to 41%, and university education to 12%. In Costa Rica, life
expectancy and infant mortality are on par with many industrial countries, even though
incomes are only about one-tenth those in the United States. The report attributes this to a
decades-long government effort to provide people with information about sanitation and
health, with a focus on prevention. In addition it is now widely recognized that the level of a
woman's education is an important factor in the health of her children. In countries as different
as Mali, Bolivia, the Philippines and Morocco, infant mortality rates are two to three times
higher for the children of women who have no education than they are for the children of
women who have a secondary education or higher.

Other chapters discuss acquiring knowledge, absorbing knowledge, communicating
knowledge, the environment, poverty, and the role of international institutions.  o

Contact: World Bank, PO Box 960, Herndon VA 20172-0960, United States,  telephone
+1-703/661-1580, fax +1-703/661-1501, e-mail <books@worldbank.org>, website
(www.worldbank.org/).



IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION: GENERAL ASSEMBLY HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE

On 17-18 September, immediately preceding the beginning of its general debate, the 53rd
United Nations General Assembly (GA) held a high-level dialogue on the theme of the social
and economic impact of globalization and interdependence and their policy implications. Go
Between summarizes discussions at the event.

The dialogue, the first in an annual series, addressed issues such as the widening disparities in
wealth both within and between nations; the long-term social, economic and political impacts
of the current financial turbulence in the world economy; possible measures to moderate
financial volatility and reduce the risks associated with capital flows; and the role of the UN in
addressing problems associated with globalization. Most nations were represented at the
dialogue by their finance, development cooperation or foreign ministers. The format included
roundtable discussions as well as formal statements in the GA plenary, complemented by
informal panels bringing perspectives from civil society, trade unions, academia and the private
sector.

Most speakers emphasized that halting or reversing globalization is both unrealistic and
undesirable. In his summary statement, GA President Didier Opertti (Uruguay) characterized
the phenomenon of globalization as "inevitable a reality, not an option." UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who concurred that there is no prospect of reversing
globalization, said that "what has to be done is to devise ways of managing it better." This was
echoed by the representative of Indonesia, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China,
who noted a "convergence of perception" emerging from the discussion. "The international
community," said the representative, "should take urgent steps to manage the force of
globalization in order to maximize its benefits and minimize its risks." 

The Austrian representative, on behalf of the European Union (EU), described a "broad
consensus that free trade and large capital movements had brought gain." However, he also
recognized that not all countries have benefitted from those gains and noted the need for
official development assistance. "The social dimension," he said, "especially a better
distribution of growth, must be an integral part of domestic and international policies."

Nations in Crisis
Discussions also focused on the devastating effects of the recent financial crisis in Asia, which
is now engulfing Russia and threatening to spread to Latin America. Government and UN
agency representatives described situations of massive unemployment, diminishing health care,
thousands of children forced to abandon their education, and thousands of families forced into
dire poverty. "Even the more dynamic developing economies," said the Indonesian Minister
for Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, "those that have managed to integrate themselves with the
global economy through judicious macro-economic policies and painstaking structural
adjustments, have seen the development gains that they earned over the decades crumble in the
span of a few weeks. The fact that the Asian crisis has been particularly harsh on those
economies that have been liberalizing financial flows and investment for a good number of
years should therefore teach a valuable lesson to all of us in the developing world."

In addition to the previous high-growth nations that have been hard hit by the financial
markets, many governments also stressed the plight of nations that are not in a position to
benefit from globalization. They are suffering the consequences of the financial crisis in the
form of sharply lower commodity prices, which severely reduced their foreign exchange
earnings at a time when official development assistance is stagnant or falling. 

Role and Capacity of the Nation State
While governments reasserted the responsibility of the state for its economic development and
the welfare of its citizens, many noted the decreased power of the nation state and stressed the
need for international cooperation and more participatory strategies. "As globalization
progresses," observed Huguette Labelle, President of the Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA), "the power and relevance of the nation state, its ability to effect change and
guide the course of human events, is diminishing." A representative of Norway observed that
"the Asian crisis clearly illustrates the shift in economic powers away from national
governments to stock markets and other actors with little or at least unclear responsibility for
the common good." 

International Architecture
"The international community is currently engaged in defining an appropriate architecture for
the international financial system," noted Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, member of the
Planning Commission of India. He cited some widely accepted features of this architecture,
including a common set of norms and standards for regulation and supervision of the financial
systems of countries, better information and transparency, and more effective surveillance. Mr.
Alatas, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, called for an in-depth study of the
world monetary and financial system from the perspective of the requirements of development. 

Governments also discussed the possible role of the United Nations in addressing challenges
posed by globalization and its economic and social impacts. In his closing remarks, Mr. Annan
noted the unique and indispensable role that the UN could play. "Its broad mandate,
near-universal membership and ability to involve non-state actors," he said, "all make it
uniquely well-equipped to help forge a global response to a crisis that is global not only in the
geographic sense, but also in the range of issues that it has raised."

According to a representative of the United States, "the United Nations system...can be
instrumental in helping nations to create the environment for successful globalization by
promoting a genuine respect for human rights and core labour standards not only civil and
political rights, but the fundamental human rights of each individual to progressive realization
of their economic, social and cultural potential." An EU representative noted that "we need a
global discussion on a coherent and effective response to the opportunities and challenges of
the future. The universality and the broad mandate of the UN make it a unique platform for a
dialogue around the concept of global housekeeping." 

Contact: Press releases reporting on the dialogue (document symbol GA/9437 to 9442) are
available on the United Nations website (www.un.org/News/Press). For a copy of the
presidential summary of the session, contact NGLS in New York.


DPI/NGO EVENT COMMEMORATES HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION

The theme of the 51st annual Department of Public Information (DPI) and NGO Conference,
held at UN headquarters in New York from 14-16 September, was the 50th Anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights: From Words to Deeds. Representatives from over
600 NGOs and international organizations attended the conference, which featured 60
speakers representing the UN system, governments, NGOs, academia and the media.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR), which will be officially marked by the United Nations on 10
December, the conference examined the impact of this landmark document on societies around
the world and how the more than 60 subsequent human rights covenants and declarations have
been implemented and are functioning today. The conference also highlighted the theme of the
anniversary, All Human Rights For All, which emphasizes the universality, indivisibility and
inter-relationships of all human rights.

The President of the 53rd UN General Assembly, Didier Opertti (Uruguay), opened the
conference by noting that the UDHR provides humankind with a set of shared goals. While it
was born without the legal form of a treaty or convention, the declaration has acquired a moral
authority and has established a frame of reference to which the international community can
defer. "Beyond nuances and differences of approach," he said, "the concept of universality is
the one on which discussion centres, and at the same time the very essence of the extent of
application of and compliance with the declaration itself." He observed that the debate about
transition from theory to action, the aim of the conference, would have to be resolved in the
context of an in-depth review of the UN. "What Jean-Fran‡ois Revel called denial of the
universality of rights in favour of juridical and cultural relativism," he said, could become one
of the central issues in the process of renewing the United Nations.

Need for Partnership
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan emphasized the need for a new partnership between the
organization and NGOs that supports democratic participation for decision-making, enables
governments to back down from their mistakes, and enables UN fact-finding missions and
other mechanisms to operate. Toward this end, he announced that "at long last, 14 years after
the idea was first taken up by a United Nations working group, the General Assembly will
consider, at its current session, a draft declaration on the protection of human rights
defenders." The draft states that everyone has the right to: meet or assembly peacefully; form,
join and participate in NGOs; seek and obtain information about human rights; complain about
the policies and actions of officials and government bodies; and enjoy unhindered access to
and communication with international bodies. Mr. Annan also said it "obligates states to
protect those who exercise these rights from violence, threats, retaliation, discrimination or
any other arbitrary action."

Human Rights, Peace and UDHR Principles
Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt, stressed the link between human rights and peace. She
said it is regrettable that in some instances human rights issues have become a political
weapon. Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA), stated that the UDHR has special importance for women whose rights have been
given secondary importance. She said that fundamental to freedom of choice are decisions
concerning reproductive and sexual health, and freedom from discrimination, coercion and
violence. Other areas of special concern are the rights of adolescents and refugees. She also
noted that civil society representatives are essential allies in the struggle to protect the rights
of all people.

In a video-taped message, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson said the
50th anniversary of the UDHR should not be an occasion for celebration but for recommitting
to the declaration's principles. She noted that the UDHR was adopted because of a need to
emphasize the dignity and worth of the human being. She stressed the interdependence of
rights and placed special emphasis on civil and political rights, such as the guarantee to a free
trial. A key violation of human rights, she emphasized, is absolute poverty that denies so many
rights. 

Claretta Nesbitt, chair of the DPI/NGO Conference Planning Committee and Elaine Valdov,
chair of the DPI/NGO Executive Committee, said that in the context of so many human rights
violations it is necessary to hear the stories of those championing the rights of others, and to
celebrate the vast numbers of human rights activists and defenders. NGOs, they observed, are
key to all human rights teams; they are sources of "early warning," they alert the world
community to human rights violations, and provide guidance with their values and ethics.

Discussion and Panels
Conference participants, after beginning with an overview of human rights issues and of the
universality of human rights, discussed the impact of globalization on development. Panels
focused on economic and sustainable development, cross-border issues, health and sustainable
development, and building and strengthening human rights institutions. The other major theme
of the conference was the relationship between human rights and peace. Panels focused on this
issue dealt with the role of the international community in prevention of conflicts and human
rights abuses, and the post-conflict role of the international community in ensuring respect for
human rights. 

Throughout the conference emphasis was placed on moving "beyond words to deeds." It was
in this spirit that practitioners and activists working on human rights issues shared their
experiences and offered insight into how to advance the cause of human rights worldwide,
including representatives from large NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights
Watch and Doctors Without Borders.

Other Speakers
Other speakers at the conference included Gra‡a Machel, First Lady of South Africa; Danielle
Mitterand, former First Lady of France and founder of France Libert‚s; and Mervet Tallawy,
Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs of Egypt.

Contact: NGO Section, UN Department of Public Information, United Nations, New York
NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 7233, fax +1-212/963 2819, website
(www.un.org/MoreInfo/ngolink/welcome.htm).


INTERGOVERNMENTAL FORUM ON FORESTS MEETS

The second session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF-2), held in Geneva on 24
August-4 September, began substantive discussions on issues related to the conservation and
sustainable use of forests. The more contentious issues discussed concerned financial
resources, trade and environment, technology transfer and the possible start of negotiations on
a global convention on forests.

The IFF was established by the 1997 UN General Assembly special session on reviewing
implementation of the 1992 Earth Summit agreements. Its objectives are to promote and
facilitate implementation of the proposals for action of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests
(IPF) and pursue matters left unresolved by the IPF. However, many government and NGO
participants at IFF-2 felt the session made little progress on the issues that the IPF had been
unable to reach consensus on. Many spoke of a sentiment of d‚j… vu and what some termed
"forest fatigue."

Financial Resources
A number of developed countries called for more effective utilization of existing funds, the
need for mobilization of domestic resources, and favourable framework conditions and
incentives to promote private sector investments. The G-77 and China said Agenda 21 and the
Forest Principles agreed at the Earth Summit should be the basis for discussion on financial
resources. Reference in the final text calling for provision of "new and additional resources,
including innovative mechanism and/or measures" was bracketed, or not agreed to, at the
session's final meeting on the insistence of the European Union.

Transfer of Technology
The transfer of technology remained a source of disagreement between Northern and Southern
government representatives. For instance, text was proposed by the G-77 and China requiring
the transfer of environmentally-sound technologies on preferential and concessional terms in
accordance with the Forest Principles, but this was bracketed by the United States. Conversely
the G-77 and China, fearing decreased focus on North-South technology transfer, opposed a
US-proposed text stating that Southern-generated technology may be more applicable than
some technologies developed in the North. The United States also bracketed text encouraging
countries to develop mechanisms to enable indigenous local communities and forest-dependent
groups to realize the benefits of traditional forest-related knowledge, in cooperation with the
Convention on Biological Diversity, through the establishment and enforcement of intellectual
property rights.

Trade and Environment
IFF-2 was unable to reach consensus on any of the conclusions and proposals on trade and
environment. Delegates tended to agree that trade liberalization may promote economic
development, but debated extensively about its ability to reduce environmental degradation.
Some proposed that trade liberalization can have positive but also negative effects, and trade
policies must be accompanied by effective environmental policies. Delegates also examined
issues related to certification and labelling schemes, illegal trade, market access, and the
escalation of tariffs on processed wood products.

A Global Forest Convention?
A number of delegates including Canada, Costa Rica, Argentina and Gabon, supported the
start of negotiations on a legally binding instrument. In their view, existing instruments do not
adequately address the problems concerning the world's forests. Russia said progress in
implementing existing instruments related to forests is hampered by the absence of a
comprehensive legally binding instrument. Cameroon stressed the need for better coordination
and synergy among the various existing mechanisms and stated that any international
arrangement not accompanied by a financial mechanism would be unsuccessful. A number of
other delegations, including Brazil and the United States, said it is premature to begin
negotiations on a legally binding instrument and called for analysis of the shortcomings of
existing arrangements before working on a new instrument. 

NGOs were strongly opposed to starting negotiations on a global convention on forests that,
in their view, would result in agreeing to the lowest common denominator of forest
management standards to further commercial interests. Instead, they said efforts should be
geared to implementing existing instruments, particularly the biodiversity convention, and to
strengthening their compliance mechanisms. NGOs were also suspicious of the motives of
forest convention proponents one NGO representative said some of the stronger convention
advocates are the same governments that have systematically blocked progress in the
implementation of the biodiversity convention.

World Commission on Forests
During one of the IFF-2 parallel events, the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable
Development (WCFSD), established in 1995 and composed of 26 eminent persons from the
North and South, made a presentation of its forthcoming final report. The report makes three
major recommendations:
--    A "Forest Security Council" composed of the 15 most forest-dependent countries
should be established to assume leadership in international forest issues.
--    A Forest Capital Index (FCI) should be developed to assess country-specific
contributions to global environmental services provided by forests.
--    A citizen's forum called "Forestrust" should be created to defend the public's interest
in forests by enabling communities to organize themselves as watchdogs of sustainable forest
policies.

Follow-Up Activities
The third session of the IFF (IFF-3) will be held in Geneva on 3-14 May 1999. A number of
government and NGO events are planned in the interim, including: a global workshop on
underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation on 18-22 January 1999 in San Jos‚
(Costa Rica), based on the outcome of a series of NGO-led regional workshops; a seminar on
practical trade-related aspects of sustainable forest management, to be held from 23-25
February 1999 in Geneva; an expert meeting on international arrangements and mechanisms,
to be held on 9-12 March 1999 in San Jos‚; and an international expert meeting on protected
forest areas, to be held on 15-19 March 1999 in San Juan (Puerto Rico). All these events are
intended to contribute to IFF-3. The IFF is to hold a final fourth session before reporting to
the Commission on Sustainable Development at its eighth session in 2000.

Contact: Jaime Hurtubia, Principal Environment Officer, IFF Secretariat, Division for
Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2 UN Plaza, Room
DC2-1254, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 4219, fax +1-212/963
3463. 


PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE

Directory of NGOs in the Field of Human Settlements
The second edition of this directory, which serves as a networking tool for civil society
organizations, contains entries from over 1000 NGOs from 105 countries. The entries include
contact information, objectives and areas of specialization. The directory contains an index by
organization names, acronyms, countries, subjects, and target areas and groups.
Available from: United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), PO Box 30030,
Nairobi, Kenya, fax +254-2/624266, website (habitat.unchs.org/home.htm).

Fifth Regional Monitoring Report: Education for All?
This report, from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), highlights the serious
challenges facing education of children in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of
Independent States and the Baltic Republics. It aims to promote action through analysis and
discussion of critical areas of educational policy and covers issues such as enrolment, learning
achievement, schooling costs, education for children with special needs, early childhood
development, and the decentralization of educational systems.
Available from: International Child Development Centre, UNICEF, 12 Piazza SS Annunziata,
I-50122 Florence, Italy, fax +39-55/244817. 

Ethnic Diversity and Public Policy: A Comparative Inquiry
This book, co-published by the United Nations Research Institut