Go Between 77, Oct.-Nov. 1999 UN NEWS SG REPORT ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR NGOS The Secretary-General's report on arrangements for NGOs in activities of the UN system, which includes responses from NGOs, has been presented to the 54th session of the General Assembly (GA). The report (A/54/329) is entitled Views of Member States, members of the specialized agencies, observers, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations from all regions on the Secretary-General's report (A/53/170) dealing with "Arrangements and Practices for the Interaction of Non-governmental Organizations in All Activities of the United Nations System." It was called for by member states last December by their adoption of GA decision A/53/452 (see NGLS Roundup, March 1999). The Secretary-General's report (A/53/170), issued in July 1998 for consideration by the GA at its 53rd session, described existing arrangements and practices for UN/NGO interaction throughout the UN system. It also addressed legal and financial implications of modifications in the current arrangements and explored the question of participation of NGOs from all regions, in particular from developing countries. Proposals toward enhancing participation of NGOs in all areas of the UN system included ensuring that NGO sections and liaison offices are appropriately staffed and allocated the necessary logistical and financial resources, and sharing best practices and experiences to promote coherence and efficiency in dealings with civil society. The report cited UN efforts to expand information dissemination through the Internet, and requested member states to review funding for the UN's optical disk system (ODS) to allow for wider access by NGOs. It also requested member states to establish a trust fund to facilitate participation of NGOs from developing countries in UN activities. Contact NGLS in New York for a copy of the report. CEDAW PROTOCOL ADOPTED The United Nations General Assembly (GA) formally adopted the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on 7 October (see NGLS Roundup, May 1999 and Go Between 74). The resolution (A/RES/54/4) calls on all states Parties to the convention to become parties to the protocol as soon as possible. The 21-article optional protocol provides for individuals who claim to be victims of sex discrimination in the jurisdiction of a state Party to complain directly to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, provided domestic remedies have been exhausted, "unless the application of such remedies is unreasonably prolonged or unlikely to bring effective relief." "This instrument is significant for women," said Ana Elena Obando (Costa Rica), member of the Women's Caucus for Gender Justice, "not only for the redress that it can provide to them, but also because it would promote an effective implementation of the convention by furthering interpretation and practical application that might stimulate changes in discriminatory national legislation, policy or practices." The GA requested the UN Secretary-General to provide the committee with the necessary staff and facilities to enable it to receive individual complaints once the optional protocol has received the ten ratifications necessary for it to enter into force. By ratifying the protocol, a state would recognize the competence of the committee to receive and consider complaints from individuals or groups within its jurisdiction. The committee would then be authorized to request the state Party where the alleged violation occurred to take "interim measures...to avoid possible irreparable damage to the victim or victims." The optional protocol allows for the committee to investigate complaints and seek information from the states Parties concerned, but the latter have the option under Article 10 of refusing to accept that provision. Article 17, however, explicitly forbids states Parties from entering reservations to the protocol. Contact: Koh Miyaoi, NGO Focal Point, Division for the Advancement of Women, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/963 3463, e-mail , web site (www.un.org/womenwatch). PROTECTING CIVILIANS IN ARMED CONFLICTS On 17 September the Security Council strongly condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians in situations of armed conflict, as well as attacks on objects protected under international law, and called on all parties to put an end to such practices. The council also decided to further review recommendations contained in a report of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on protection of civilians in armed conflict, and to consider appropriate steps by April 2000. "More than just the victims of crossfire, civilians have themselves become targets in today's conflicts," Mr. Annan told the council. Over 30 million have been displaced. Countless men, women and children have been denied access to life-saving food and medicine....Belligerents are increasingly taking care to avoid direct confrontation with each other. Instead, their favoured strategy to gain ground is the exercise of terror against defenceless civilians." In its unanimously adopted resolution 1265 (1999), the council stressed the need for combatants to ensure the security and freedom of movement of UN and associated personnel, as well as those of international humanitarian organizations. It also urged all parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law and with council decisions, and affirmed the need to hold accountable those who commit such acts. The council underscored the need to prevent conflicts that could endanger international peace and security, and it highlighted the importance of implementing preventive measures to resolve them. It expressed its willingness to respond to situations of armed conflict where civilians are targeted or humanitarian assistance to civilians is being deliberately obstructed. The council also acknowledged the need to enhance the UN's capacity for rapid deployment of trained and qualified civilian police. Among other things, the council noted the importance of including in the mandates of peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building operations provisions for the protection and assistance of groups requiring particular attention, including women and children. It also expressed its willingness to consider how peacekeeping mandates might better address the negative impact of armed conflict on civilians. 53RD GA ADOPTS CULTURE OF PEACE TEXT The United Nations General Assembly (GA) concluded its 53rd session on 13 September with the adoption of a resolution (A/RES/53/243) on the Culture of Peace. Introduced by Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury (Bangladesh), the text contains nine articles recognizing the need to eliminate all forms of discrimination and intolerance, and expressing deep concern about the persistence and proliferation of violence and conflict in various parts of the world. The text's Declaration on a Culture of Peace defines it as a set of values, attitudes, traditions, modes of behaviour and ways of life based on respect for life, ending violence, and promotion and practice of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation. It calls for, among other things, respect for the principles of sovereignty; respect for and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms; commitment to peaceful settlements of conflicts; efforts to meet the developmental and environmental needs of present and future generations; respect for and promotion of the right to development; equal rights of and opportunities for men and women; and the right of everyone to freedom of expression, opinion and information. The text's Programme of Action encourages UN member states to take actions for promoting a culture of peace at all levels. It says partnerships between and among the UN and civil society actors should be encouraged and strengthened toward this goal. The important role of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in such activities is emphasized, as is the need for mobilization of resources including financial resources for effective implementation of the Programme of Action. Contact: International Year for the Culture of Peace, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 10 00, e-mail , website (www.unesco.org/cpp). GA PRESIDENT CLOSES 53RD SESSION In a closing statement to the 53rd session of the UN General Assembly (GA), outgoing GA President Didier Opertti (Uruguay) said that significant contradictions had manifested themselves in three main areas during the course of the GA. The world continued to move towards the complete realization of individual liberties and democratization of national and international societies, he said. Yet, the sweeping progress in this area had not done away with the violence that was used in an attempt to impose the ideas and aims of extreme forms of nationalism, religious fundamentalism or alleged ethnic supremacy. The second main contradiction concerned technological progress. The world is witnessing changes in transportation and communications, as well as in the growth of knowledge. The benefits of progress are distributed unevenly, however. Mr. Opertti said globalization and liberalization of trade have increased social differences and economic contradictions, and measures are needed to counter-balance that process or the threat would become greater. He also highlighted reform of the Security Council, which has been among the most controversial aspects in efforts to reshape the UN. Mr. Opertti said it is necessary to intensify efforts to restore the primacy of the UN in the conduct of international affairs by strengthening and improving it and by adapting its structure and functioning to new requirements. He noted that more than once during the 53rd session the GA and Security Council had acted without coordination and transparency. While a great deal of effort had been devoted to discussions on reform, Mr. Opertti said, there was as yet no genuine political will to reform that would facilitate agreement on the main issues. He did note that some progress had been made on the methods of work of the council. The conflict in Kosovo, Mr. Opertti said, was the most important international political event of the year due to its magnitude and consequences. "I view it as an unfortunate coincidence," he said, "that during the year that it fell to me to preside over the General Assembly the credibility and effectiveness of this body, the most genuinely democratic and representative in the international community, was put to its severest test ever." He noted that the conflict had shown that the Security Council, "whose task is the preservation of peace," was prevented from doing so by its inability to reach the necessary decisions. "The threat of the veto played a role," he said, "demonstrating that a mechanism that was ostensibly designed to prevent the use of force, ultimately became a factor which took the decision regarding its use away from the Council and the Organisation itself." The GA, which under Articles 10 and 11 of the Charter has responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, did not find itself in a position to exercise this responsibility, not for want of a legal framework but because "the prevailing political will was not to make use of those powers." "It would be premature to draw any final conclusions regarding the Kosovo crisis now," Mr. Opertti said. "But what does seem clear is that the crisis will affect the functioning and the credibility of the United Nations. Perhaps the only positive element of this conflict is that it has made it obvious that any further postponement of reform in the UN is both inadmissible and unwarranted." He noted that the UN Charter is built on the principle of legitimacy, "which gives substance and a raison d'ˆtre to the international legal order. Consequently, the main lesson to be learned from the case of Kosovo," he said, "is that we must diligently continue to seek formulas that offer full guarantees of respect for this principle." GROUP OF 77 MINISTERS MEET The 23rd annual meeting of the ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77, held in New York on 24 September, covered a broad agenda with emphasis on globalization and interdependence; international trade; environment and development; the financial situation, administrative and budgetary issues of the United Nations; and South-South cooperation. The ministers pledged to work toward a clearer definition of long-term strategies of the group, and in this regard they stressed the historic importance of the South Summit, to be held in Havana (Cuba) from 12-14 April 2000 (see below). In discussions of the global economic situation, the ministers noted with grave concern the widening gap between the developed and developing countries, and the continued uncertain prospects of global economic recovery. They called for establishment of a just international economic order, and for measures to ensure full and effective participation of developing countries in the process of decision-making aimed at resolving world economic problems. Concerning globalization and interdependence, the ministers said that the different reach and impact of globalization is generating economic asymmetries both at the global and national levels, and poses new challenges to the development aspirations of developing countries. They said globalization and the increasing interdependence that it engenders necessitate effective governance that focuses primarily on: -- democratization of international economic decision-making; -- integrated consideration of trade, finance and development issues by international institutions; -- reform of the international financial architecture; and -- the problem of marginalization. The ministers took up the issue of international trade and welcomed outcomes of the ninth Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 Preparatory to UNCTAD X, held in Marrakesh (Morocco), from 13-16 September. They called on developing countries to continue coordinating their position on trade issues. They stressed that the universality of the World Trade Organization (WTO) should be achieved as soon as possible in order to strengthen the multilateral trading system. They also said that appropriate assistance should be made available to developing countries seeking accession, and all WTO members should refrain from placing excessive or onerous demands on applications from developing countries. In discussions on the environment and development, the ministers reiterated the urgency of accelerating comprehensive implementation of Agenda 21. They stressed that such implementation should not contradict the right of developing counties to benefit fully from utilization of their resources that are vital for sustained economic growth and sustainable development. On the agenda item concerning the financial situation, administrative and budgetary issues of the United Nations, the ministers underscored the importance of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (Kenya) as the only UN centre in the developing world. They said that as a matter of principle, the office in Nairobi should have the same status as the UN offices in Geneva and Vienna. The ministers reiterated their deep concern over the difficult and chronic financial situation of the United Nations. They reaffirmed their belief that the primary cause of financial difficulties continues to be the failure on the part of certain developed countries, in particular the major contributor, to pay their assessed contributions to the regular budget and peacekeeping budgets in full, on time and without conditions. Discussion on South-South cooperation was taken up in view of the upcoming World Trade Organization ministerial meeting, to be held in Seattle (United States) in November 1999, and UNCTAD X in Bangkok (Thailand) in February 2000. The ministers agreed on the need to put in place appropriate mechanisms to facilitate the effective and enhanced participation of developing countries in future multilateral trade negotiations, particularly at the WTO. Contact: Office of the Chairman of the Group of 77, United Nations, Room S-3959, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 0192, fax +1-212/963 3515, e-mail , website (www.g77.org). LDC MINISTERIAL MEETING Creditor countries and institutions should cancel all outstanding debt owed by least developed countries, according to a declaration adopted at the ninth annual Ministerial Meeting of the Least Developed Countries, held at the United Nations in New York on 29 September. The meeting, whose convening was facilitated by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was attended by more than 20 foreign ministers and senior officials from least developed countries, and high-level representatives from the United Nations system and international financial institutions, including for the first time the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mike Moore. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told participants that an institutional framework must be created to enable least developed countries to participate in and benefit from globalization. He said the international community must meet the needs of least developed countries in terms of official development assistance, debt relief, market access and foreign investment. It should also work for the elimination of tariff barriers from least developed country exports. Representatives of least developed countries said the external financial situation they face is aggravated by a heavy burden of debt and debt-servicing, which constrains development efforts and undermines credibility to mobilize external private flows. Measures in favour of least developed countries should be rendered binding by becoming an integral part of the rules governing the multilateral trading system, the ministers declared. They stressed that in implementing existing multilateral trade agreements and in future negotiations, the international community should ensure that obligations placed on least developed countries are consistent with their level of development and capacity. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing macro-economic and sectoral policies conducive to promoting growth and development and eradicating poverty in their countries. However they noted with concern that the declarations, promises and commitments in favour of their countries to a great extent had failed to materialize. As a result, they said national policy reforms and adjustment programmes often did not yield the full benefits, and in some cases had a negative impact. Among other things, the declaration says the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, to be held in 2001 and hosted by the European Union, should aim to achieve concrete and binding global and country-level commitments on the part of the countries concerned and their partners to eradicate their extreme poverty within the first decade of the century. It should also promote the countries' positive integration into the world economy and the international trading system in a measurable and time-bound manner. Contact: Claudine Sigam, Office of the Special Coordinator for the Least Developed, Landlocked and Island Developing Countries, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 5766, fax +41-22/917 0046, e-mail , website (www.unctad.org). UNDP LAUNCHES NETAID In October the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with Cisco Systems Corporation launched NetAid, an initiative aimed at ending extreme poverty through the Internet, TV, radio and webcasting. NetAid began on 9 October with concerts in New York, London and Geneva. It will continue with an interactive website (www.netaid.org). "NetAid is an inspiring example of the kind of corporate citizenship and public-private partnership that will be crucial in addressing the challenges of the 21st century," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at the NetAid launch, which also included singers Bono, David Bowie, Puff Daddy, Wyclef Jean and Quincy Jones. The NetAid website, which by 15 October had received 40 million hits, is intended to galvanize public support via the Internet for poverty and humanitarian programmes. Its slogan, "The power to end extreme poverty is now online," highlights five key components toward that goal: ending hunger, helping refugees, saving the environment, securing human rights, and relieving debt. US President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former South African President Nelson Mandela were the first to officially log on to the NetAid website. The three leaders participated via satellite in a news conference in New York to unveil it. "I am delighted to join Tony Blair and Nelson Mandela in launching NetAid, which is an important new front in the fight against poverty," President Clinton said. "NetAid sends a powerful signal that we intend to use the Internet to improve the lives of all people, not just those wealthy enough to afford computers." Nelson Mandela said that the modern world has the capacity to solve the problems of poverty, but that the gap between rich and poor continues to grow, creating instability and affecting all people. "Initiatives like NetAid can help build a better world and increase bonds among people through the Internet; it can help people gain information on how they can improve their lives." Tony Blair said that he hopes people everywhere will click on the NetAid website to find ways to help people in need, such as Kosovo refugees. Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said that people logging on to the website will be able to go on their own cyber journey of discovery about countries, situations and issues, such as refugees or debt. "We hope it will allow those who want to see development as we see it: an extraordinary force for change in the lives of the world's poor; the precious gift to a child of literacy, or to a family of health or to parents, jobs and a decent livelihood." Non-governmental organizations are invited to join the NetAid website if their work falls under one of the following themes: women, health, indigenous concerns, religion, social services, research, community-based activities, environment, politics, labour or advocacy. NGOs can fill out the electronic form on the "join" button on the website. Contact: Djibril Diallo, Director, Division of Public Affairs, UN Development Programme, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/906 5300, fax +1-212/906 5313, websites (www.undp.org) or (www.netaid.org). URBAN POVERTY CONFERENCE At the beginning of the 20th century, when only one in ten people lived in towns, the world's population was primarily rural. Today, on the threshold of the new millennium, almost three billion people, half of humanity, live in towns and cities. The result of this rapid increase in the urban population is that, of the estimated 1.5 billion poor, most are now concentrated in slums and squatter settlements. Delegates to the Third International Conference on Urban Poverty, held 12-14 October in Nairobi (Kenya), discussed this issue under the theme Social Integration and Security for the Urban Poor: Towards Cities for All. The conference brought together representatives of governments, local authorities, NGOs, international aid agencies and experts from around the world. It was organized by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the International Forum on Urban Poverty (IFUP). Participants addressed four main topics: -- informal cities and security of tenure; -- urban safety for the poor and crime prevention; -- the utilization of transport systems by all segments of society; and -- urban children and youth in poverty. Their recommendations shared a consensus that governments and city authorities must stop excluding the poor and treating them as a burden. The poor, participants said, "are not the problem, they are part of the solution. Countless examples from around the world show that, with participation and inclusive planning, the poor are a social and economic asset. Community participation reduces the level of crime in neighbourhoods; incorporating the transport needs of poor people can lead to economic benefits; given security of tenure, the poor invest in building their own homes and improving their immediate environment." Among other things, participants called on governments, local authorities, international financial institutions, aid agencies and NGOs to work in partnership to reduce urban poverty. Contact: Zahra A. Hassan, Media Liaison, UNCHS (Habitat), PO Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623151, fax +254-2/624060, e-mail , website (www.unchs.org). UNDP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FORUM More than 600 policy-makers, students, researchers and activists gathered at UN headquarters in New York from 29-31 July for the First Global Forum on Human Development. Organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report Office (HDRO), the forum marked the tenth anniversary of the Human Development Report and was dedicated to its visionary creator, Mahbub ul Haq. According to Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, HDRO Director, "The forum was initiated as part of an overall strategy to reinforce human development as a movement...a school of thought that is alive with intellectual explorations in academia, and with a political movement and policy debate at the local and country levels." The forum focused on four major themes: the Human Development Report 1999; measurement of human development; national human development reports; and future directions for research. In his address to the forum, the UN Secretary-General underscored the need for better governance at the global as well as the national level. Among the questions he raised was how to cope with "problems without passports" such as global warming, infectious diseases, drugs and international crime, and terrorism and weapons proliferation while respecting national sovereignty. He asked how to persuade "those who control financial resources to deploy them in ways that will enable the poor to lift themselves out of poverty." He also stressed the need to find ways in which to implement pledges and commitments made at the series of global conferences held in the 1990s on different aspects of development. Mark Malloch Brown, UNDP Administrator, also spoke at the forum and suggested that the Human Development Report had already achieved its first target in the sense that it had "mainstreamed human development as a central, if not the central, issue in development." Parallel sessions were held on a variety of topics, including: globalization and competitiveness in the world economy; implications for and policy responses from Africa; national human development reports and their impacts on development policy and resource priorities; and gender and human development. In a presentation on Towards a Better Financial Architecture, Stephany Griffith-Jones of the University of Sussex Institute of Development Studies (United Kingdom) examined the positive and negative effects of capital flows to developing countries. She highlighted the need for managing volatile short-term capital flows. "The current functioning of the international financial system," she said, "is clearly unsatisfactory, particularly because it leads to recurrent financial crisis, with very high development costs especially implying increases in poverty for developing countries. It thus risks undermining the development achievements of the otherwise broadly successful market reforms." She examined ways in which to improve transparency of international financial markets and discussed the need to fill global regulatory gaps. She also talked about the appropriate scale, timeliness, modalities and conditionality in the provision of official liquidity in times of crises, and the private sector's response to crisis prevention and crisis management. In a paper on Engendering Macro-Economic Policy and Budgets for Sustainable Human Development, Diane Elson of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and Nulifer Cagatay of UNDP's Bureau for Development Policy welcomed the attention HDR 1999 gives to the importance of care in human development and to the disproportionate role that women's unpaid domestic labour plays in the provision of care. They focused on the macro-economic dimensions as a particular challenge for the future, especially the design of gender-equitable and pro-poor fiscal and monetary policies at the national level. "Democratizing the process of macro-economic policy making," they said, "is just as crucial as ensuring that macro-economic policies serve the goal of human development." In looking forward to the next decade of the human development movement, Amartya Sen said, "The human development approach assumed the leadership of a pluralist wok of multiple concerns, and its intellectual departure has a coordinating function that is quite central to the entire enterprise. Unfreedoms in the world come in many different forms. Many disparate failings and shortfalls need attention. And, furthermore, the world itself is changing even as we look at it and report on it. It is this diverse and dynamic reality on which the enterprise of human development has to concentrate. It is a stream, not a stagnant pool." Contact: HDRO/UNDP, 336 East 45th Street, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/906 3661, fax +1-212/906 3677, e-mail . For available conference papers, see website (www.undp.org/hdro/hdconf.htm). INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGAINST AIDS The global community should dramatically increase its efforts and resources to meet the growing challenges posed by the AIDS epidemic, according to officials from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Representatives of the organizations, meeting at the 11th International Conference on AIDS and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) in Africa, held in Lusaka (Zambia) in September, said they have joined forces with African governments, donor countries, and pan-African and other international organizations to create an International Partnership Against AIDS in Africa. "Aids is more than an epidemic; it is a human development crisis," said Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director. "The disastrous impact of HIV has already surpassed even the most dire predictions of a few years ago. In just two decades a relatively short time in the world of infectious diseases AIDS has become the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa." In the last 15 years AIDS has killed 11 million Africans; the epidemic infects 150 Africans every hour. The partnership is designed to accelerate action by governments, civil society and the private sector worldwide so that within the next five to ten years, all African countries will have in place comprehensive national AIDS control programmes. Another focus of the partnership will be reaching young people. Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director, urged that young people be made leading participants in the partnership's programmes. "The participation of young people is essential to reversing the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS," she said. "Young people can talk to their peers about the dangers of HIV infection and be heard. Young people are the best advocates for promoting youth-friendly clinics, and they are the most effective leaders in communicating prevention messages with the goal of changing behaviour." Contact: Lisa Jacobs, Press Officer, Communication and Public Information, UNAIDS, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 3387, fax +41-22/791 4187, e-mail , website (www.unaids.org). WDR FOCUS ON "LOCALIZATION" AND GLOBALIZATION "Localization" the growing economic and political power of cities, provinces and other sub-national entities will be one of the most important new trends in the 21st century, according to the 1999/2000 World Development Report (WDR). The report, produced by the World Bank, says that together with accelerating globalization of the world economy, localization could revolutionize prospects for human development or it could lead to chaos and increased human suffering. Localization can take the form of a general demand for broader popular participation in politics such as democracy movements in Poland and Brazil in the 1980s, the Republic of Korea in the 1990s, and Indonesia today. Or it can take the form of demands for greater local autonomy, which may lead to decentralization or official recognition of a local cultural identity as in Canada, Spain and Uganda. Either way, localization can be a mixed blessing according to the report. When it works, decentralizing power to the provincial and local levels can result in more responsive and efficient local government. "There will be less room for close business dealings," predicts the report, "more calls for accountability, and a continuing move away from the authoritarianism practiced in various parts of the world between the 1960s and the 1980s." However localization can also result in over-burdened local governments being unable to provide local infrastructure and services, the report warns. It can also threaten macro-economic stability and hence economic growth, if local governments borrow and spend heavily and need to be bailed out by national governments. In extreme cases, demands for local autonomy can lead to ethnic strife and civil war. The report links localization pressures to those of globalization, which it says also offers a mix of opportunities and risks. Expanded markets and the spread of technology can lead to higher productivity and improved living standards. But they can also lead to instability and undesired changes: job losses due to the influx of foreign imports, financial instability due to volatile foreign capital flows, and threats to the global ecosystem. The report says that given current projections, the number of people living in absolute poverty will continue to increase. At the start of the new millennium, an estimated 1.5 billion people will subsist on the equivalent of one dollar a day, up from 1.2 billion people in 1987. By 2015, the number of people subsisting below this international poverty line could reach 1.9 billion. Moreover, if recent trends persist, income disparities between industrial and developing countries will continue to grow. James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, says the report's focus on impacts of localization and globalization on the poor highlights the need for development thinking to move beyond simplistic notions of economic growth to embrace a more comprehensive view of people's lives. "So far, economic commentary has focused on the onset of globalization with much less attention paid to the forces of localization," he said. "In both cases, however, what matters most is moving beyond traditional concepts of economic growth, to putting people their health, welfare, education, opportunity, and inclusion at the heart of the development agenda for the 21st century." According to Shahid Yusuf, the report's team leader, as globalization makes the world a smaller place and localization multiplies the range of policy environments, successful development strategies will pay off more quickly in the new century than in the past. By the same token however, the consequences of flawed strategies will be revealed sooner and more painfully. "The purpose of the report," he said, "is to identify approaches that have worked, to help countries and local communities develop and use successful development strategies." To this end, the report identifies what it calls "four critical lessons" of development experience in the past half-century. -- Macro-economic stability is essential for achieving the growth needed for development. -- Growth does not "trickle down," so development efforts must address human needs directly. -- No one policy will spur development; a comprehensive approach is needed. -- Sustained development must be socially inclusive and flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances. These lessons, the report says, are "central to how the World Bank envisions its work in the 21st century and to the way in which it proposes to tackle the principal development challenges ahead." Contact: World Bank, PO Box 960, Herndon, VA 20172-0960, United States, telephone +1-703/661 1580, fax +1-703/661 1501, e-mail , website (www.worldbank.org). CULTURE IN DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor and US First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton called for culture to feature more strongly in development policies, as they closed a four-day conference on 8 October in Florence (Italy). At the conference, entitled Culture Counts: Financing Resources and the Economics of Culture in Sustainable Development, Mr. Mayor highlighted what he described as the poor results of external development aid. "We must invest differently to protect men and women, to protect the cultural, intangible, genetic, ethical heritages of humanity," he said. "But above all, we must promote creative capacity, because creativity is our hope." He urged help for countries "to develop themselves, to have their own arts, their own artists, their own priorities, their own development agendas." James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, stressed the importance of considering culture in development projects. "In this time of globalization," he said,"...the poor are the most vulnerable to having their traditions, relationships, and knowledge and skills ignored and denigrated." The conference brought together some 700 participants representing over 70 countries to review the range of cultural policies and their funding. Discussions focused on the following themes: -- Threats and Tensions; -- The Role of Culture in Sustainable Development; -- Multilateral Development Banks; -- Development Impact of Cultural Programmes and Projects; and -- Strategies to Support Culture in Sustainable Development. A text entitled Towards New Strategies for Culture in Sustainable Development was presented at the closing ceremony. Among other things, it notes that "cultural heritage and cultural expression are at the heart of many essential industries, which today are powerful engines of economic growth, generating considerable income and employment, particularly in the emerging knowledge economy." While culture is "on the ascendant in public awareness everywhere," the text says it remains a low priority in the development policies of most countries. The document's proposals suggest bolstered collaboration with financing and development institutions, creating of an international audiovisual database on intangible culture heritage, and establishment of an international programme for adaptive reuse of traditional knowledge. The conference was organized by the government of Italy and the World Bank with the cooperation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Contact: Press Service, UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France, telephone +33-1/45 68 17 44, fax +33-1/45 68 56 52, website (www.unesco.org). FAO MEETING ON WOMEN, DATA Addressing a "data gap" that leaves women's work largely uncounted in agricultural and other censuses in developing countries was the primary goal of a ministerial meeting held 4-6 October in Rome (Italy). Participants in the meeting, convened by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), called for action on the gap as well as giving rural women a chance to speak out and be heard by their national leaders and by development agencies. It is now an undisputed fact, says FAO, that women in the rural areas of developing countries work long hours juggling agricultural chores, childcare, food preparation and other tasks. Their workdays are fragmented and bear little resemblance to those of their male counterparts. Yet little precise information about their economic contributions and needs is getting through to the people in government and development agencies who make policy and plan projects that will have an impact on women's lives. The availability of statistics broken down by sex is taken for granted in most industrialized countries. In much of the developing world, however, data collection continues to be carried out by household, with no details on the activities of individual household members. "Information is the basic tool," said Margareta Winberg, Sweden's Minister for Agriculture and Gender Equality Affairs, who moderated a panel on gender equality in policies and planning. "Collecting gender-disaggregated data is an indispensable step towards making women visible as human beings and social actors and in this case also as farmers." Sissel Ekaas, Director of FAO's Women and Population Division and secretary of the meeting, said that in development planning "you need to define the target population by sex, age, sector of agricultural production, and type of work." She said higher agricultural productivity, and the achievement of sustainable rural development are impossible if rural planners continue to base their decisions mainly on data relating to physical inputs and outputs, while ignoring the perspective of human resources. However, panellists and delegates stressed that statistics alone don't tell the whole story. They called for more decision-making power for rural women in their households, communities and in government; action to address a worldwide increase of violence against women; and challenging gender stereotypes and inequities that limit women's access to technology, education, training, land and credit. Some 110 countries participated in the meeting, along with observers from other UN agencies, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Contact: Erwin Northoff, Media Officer, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 3105, fax +39-06/5705 4975, e-mail , website (www.fao.org). UNEP ROUNDTABLE ON FINANCE AND ENVIRONMENT Participants in a roundtable on New Roles for Finance in the Race to Sustainability, held 9-10 September in Chicago (United States), discussed challenges facing financial institutions and their customers in the increasingly environmentally-concerned marketplace of the 21st century. The roundtable was organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Financial Institutions Initiative on the Environment, and hosted by Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Speakers included representatives of the World Bank, UNEP, financial institutions, Dow Jones Indexes, governments, the private sector, academia and the non-governmental community. Discussions focused on trends and innovations in environment and finance, and how the financial sector whether commercial or investment banks or multilateral agencies can better integrate environmental and sustainability considerations into its operational, credit and investment practices. Participants also examined global trends in project finance, educating the next generation of financial professionals, environmental reporting and accounting, key climate change issues for the financial sector, long-term asset management, and credit risk assessment of environmental risks. "Sustainability-driven companies aim to increase shareholder value over the long-term by integrating economic, environmental and social growth opportunities into their business strategies," said David Moran, President of Dow Jones Indexes. "Sustainability-driven companies pursue their opportunities in a proactive, cost-effective and responsible manner today, so that they will outpace their competitors and be tomorrow's winners." Alois Flatz, of the SAM Sustainability Group, observed that there is increasing investor interest in companies committed to the corporate sustainability principles because these companies have superior performances and favourable risk/return profiles. "We now have the quantitative tools for investors and companies to integrate sustainability principles," he said, "in both corporate and investment strategies to their mutual benefit." The Financial Institutions Initiative on the Environment, launched in 1992, is part of UNEP's Financial Services Initiatives. Financial institutions show their commitment to the initiative by signing a Statement of Financial Institutions on the Environment and Sustainable Development, which commits signatories to incorporating environmentally-sound practices into their operations. As of 1 July, 159 banks from 43 countries had signed the statement. (See Go Between 76 for details on a similar statement signed by the insurance industry.) Contact: Mike Kelly, Coordinator, UNEP Financial Institutions Initiative, UNEP Economics and Trade Unit, 15 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219 Chƒtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 8178, fax +41-22/796 9240, e-mail , website (www.unep.ch/eteu/envr-fin.htm). HUMAN RIGHTS SUBCOMMISSION MEETS The UN Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, which held its 51st session on 2-27 August in Geneva, discussed various aspects of globalization, in particular trade liberalization and its impact on human rights. In resolution 1999/30, the subcommission requests "all governments and economic policy forums to take international human rights obligations and principles fully into account in international economic policy formulation," including in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is scheduled to consider embarking on a new round of multilateral trade negotiations in Seattle (United States) in November-December (see NGLS Roundup, No. 39). At its 50th session last year the subcommission had passed resolution 1998/12, which expresses concern about the possible human rights implications of the negotiations that were then taking place at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on a Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). It said it was particularly concerned "about the extent to which the Agreement might limit the capacity of States to take proactive steps to ensure the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by all people, creating benefits for a small privileged minority at the expense of an increasingly disenfranchised majority." This year the subcommission notes that negotiations on the MAI have ceased at the OECD (see NGLS Roundup, December 1998-January 1999). However it stresses that provisions similar to those in the MAI are proposed to be incorporated in future agreements of the WTO and in the review of the Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Resolution 1999/30 insists that "sanctions and negative conditionalities which directly or indirectly affect trade are not appropriate ways of promoting the integration of human rights in international economic policy and practice." It calls on governments and international economic policy forums "to undertake comprehensive and systematic studies, in consultation with United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms and relevant civil society organizations, of the human rights and social impacts of economic liberalization programmes, policies and laws." It also calls on the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to include in its programme of work, especially in the context of preparations for the organization's tenth quadrennial conference (UNCTAD X), "a specific focus on ways and means to incorporate human rights principles in the process of international trade policy formulation." In addition, it encourages civil society organizations to promote such efforts with their respective governments, and continue to publicize the effects of economic policy that fail to take human rights obligations into account. The resolution was adopted by 18 votes to none, with four abstentions. Its principal sponsor was Joseph Oloka-Onyango of Uganda, one of the co-authors of a subcommission working paper (E/CN.4/Sub.2/1999/11) entitled "Human rights as the primary objective of international trade, investment and finance policy and practice." Mr. Oloka-Onyango has been entrusted by the subcommission to carry out a comprehensive study of the impact of globalization on the full enjoyment of all human rights, which the Commission on Human Rights had requested in April 1999 in resolution 1999/59. The subcommission also held the first session of its three-year working group on the working methods and activities of transnational corporations (TNCs). The group will focus on issues relating to the human rights impact of TNCs and possible regulatory frameworks to ensure compatibility between TNC activity and human rights obligations of states. The subcommission also decided it will hold a Social Forum during its 52nd session next year, subject to approval by the human rights commission. The forum will seek to promote dialogue and initiatives among governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector and NGOs on issues relating to globalization and the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, particularly with regard to poverty (including the feminization of poverty), and income inequalities at national and international levels. Contact: Guennadi Lebakine, Secretary of the Subcommission, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais Wilson, 52 rue des Pƒquis, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 9328, fax +41-22/917 9011, e-mail , website (www.unhchr.ch). IFAD APPROVES NEW PROJECTS The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide loans to finance five development projects worth US$134 million in Argentina, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cape Verde and Tanzania. The fund's executive board, meeting in Rome in September, also approved three technical grants to assist a number of research programmes in different fields of agriculture. The North-Western Rural Development Project in Argentina's northern territories will target 12,700 poor smallholder families and help implement market-oriented agricultural development activities for poor rural smallholders and poverty-alleviation initiatives for ethnic minorities. The Second Eastern Zone Agricultural Programme in Bhutan will aim to assist about 23,000 households to overcome poverty by providing training, technical advice and credit facilities. About 350,000 inhabitants of villages in north-west Cambodia should benefit from a US$11.5 million Agricultural Development Support Project. The project, designed to "jump start" economic activities, will provide rural savings and credit services for capital formation at the household level. In Cape Verde, IFAD will fund about 650 micro-projects aimed at some 11,000 households. The Rural Poverty Alleviation Programme, which will be implemented directly by the communities, will include local infrastructure works, technical education, and natural resource conservation activities. Smallholder farmers in Tanzania are expected to benefit from the US$25 million Participatory Irrigation Development Programme, designed to increase agricultural production. Contact: IFAD, Via del Serafico 107, I-00142 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/54591, fax +39-06/5459 2141, website (www.ifad.org). WIPO ANNUAL ASSEMBLY Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) closed their annual assembly on 29 September in Geneva. Among their decisions, the WIPO programme and budget for the 2000-2001 biennium of about US$281 million was approved, which represents an increase of 8.1% over the 1998-1999 biennium. The programme and budget proposes an increase of 11.2% in the programme allocation for supporting developing countries and countries in transition. WIPO's activities in the development of intellectual property legal standards will increase by 11.3% as compared to the last biennium. The organization's activities in global protection systems will increase by 10.1%. Another feature is a reduction in the contributions by member states of 10% below the 1999 level, which is in itself 10% below the 1998 level. Unlike other specialized agencies of the United Nations, WIPO is mostly self-financed, and expects to generate some 91% of its income in 2000-2001 from international registration and other services it renders essentially to the private sector. Among other things the meeting endorsed the convening of a diplomatic conference, from 11 May to 12 June 2000 in Geneva, to finalize negotiations toward adoption of a treaty that would make it easier for inventors to obtain patent protection. Delegates from 77 countries and NGOs put the final touches on a draft text of the proposed Patent Law Treaty at a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents in September. Contact: Media Relations and Public Affairs Section, WIPO, PO Box 18, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/338 8161 or 338 9547, fax +41-22/338 8810, e-mail , website (www.wipo.org). IAEA GENERAL CONFERENCE Member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolved to strengthen cooperation in key areas of global safety, security, and peaceful nuclear development at the agency's General Conference. The conference, held in Vienna (Austria) from 27 September-1 October, was attended by high-level government representatives of 111 countries. At the conference member states passed a resolution strengthening international cooperation in nuclear, radiation and waste safety. They also overwhelmingly endorsed an IAEA action plan on safety of radiation sources and security of radioactive materials. The action plan includes provision of expert assistance to help upgrade national capabilities for regulating commercial radiation sources, particularly sources outside regulatory control. The agency was authorized by member states to take measures against illicit trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials. Member states asked IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei to develop a plan for improving global cooperation and coordination in detecting, preventing and responding to the illegal use of nuclear and other radioactive materials. Regarding the problem of water shortages, member states stressed the need for regional and global cooperation. They asked the IAEA to develop nuclear technologies to produce potable water and to help countries in assessing the role of nuclear power in meeting environmental challenges. They also passed a resolution that stresses the necessity of re-establishing the agency's nuclear monitoring and verification activities in Iraq; the last of these took place nine months ago under the mandate of the UN Security Council. Member states called upon the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to comply fully with the IAEA safeguards agreement regarding the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. At the conference six more member states (Czech Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Monaco, Norway and Slovakia) signed additional protocols that strengthen IAEA's system for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. The protocols give IAEA the authority to use verification measures to improve its capability to detect nuclear activities, including clandestine nuclear-weapon programmes. Contact: Division of Public Information, IAEA, Wagramerstrasse 5, PO Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/26000, fax +43-1/2600 29610, website (www.iaea.org). MFCAL CONFERENCE HELD A conference on Cultivating Our Futures: Multifunctional Character of Agriculture and Land (MFCAL), held 12-17 September in Maastricht (the Netherlands), aimed to provide a high-level technical forum to identify new practices and enabling environments for increased sustainability in agriculture. The conference, organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the government of the Netherlands, was attended by over 250 participants from more than 100 countries. They included agricultural and environmental experts and policy-makers from government, international organizations, NGOs and other civil society groups. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) organized a preparatory meeting in July for the conference. Discussions in Maastricht addressed, among other things, the need to better understand the dramatic transformation in humans' relationship to agriculture and the environment, and the need to achieve greater social equity and increase opportunities for rural societies. The idea of multiple functions in agriculture and land can serve to better analyze and explain the varied roles that agriculture plays in a rapidly changing world economy. It helps policy-makers understand the roles agriculture plays in relation to society and other sectors of the economy and the environment. Planners can then design and implement policies that encourage economic development and strengthen food security, without disrupting social stability or degrading the environment. The chairman's report of the conference reviews progress in achieving sustainability and rural development, and identifies instruments and issues for future action. It says the main challenges for agriculture are achieving the global objective of food security at individual, household, national, regional and worldwide levels, in conjunction with the progressive eradication of poverty. The report then explains the institutional history of the sustainable agriculture and rural development (SARD) concept and evolving ideas on the multiple functions of agriculture and land. Other sections review the wider context of discussions on SARD including international debates and the use of instruments since 1992; progress made; and the need for effective ways of monitoring, evaluating and assessing progress and barriers toward SARD. A report summarizing the evidence, ideas and debates that have emerged both before and in Maastricht will be finalized by the end of the year. Among other things, it will contribute to preparations for the eighth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-8), to be held from 24 April-5 May 2000. Contact: Liliane Kambirigi, Media Officer (Radio), Media Relations Branch, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/57 05 32 23, fax +39-06/57 05 37 29, e-mail , website (www.fao.org). BASEL CONVENTION PROTOCOL Delegates from 87 countries met in Geneva in September to continue elaborating a Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damage Resulting from Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal. The draft text will now be forwarded to the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-5) of the Basel Convention for further negotiation. COP-5, to be held in Basel (Switzerland) from 6-10 December, will mark the convention's tenth anniversary. If adopted and then ratified, the protocol will establish a rigorous system for assigning liability in the event of an accident involving hazardous waste. The liability is to be strict and regardless of fault, although the protocol is also expected to place a cap on financial liability. In addition, there is to be a legal requirement to take out insurance for all hazardous waste shipments. Because this requirement would be combined with a liability cap, the insurance industry should be able to provide effective coverage. While progress has been made on liability, the question of whether or not to establish an emergency and compensatory fund for assisting developing countries faced with unwanted wastes has proven difficult. Another outstanding issue is the scope of the protocol: should it cover only the wastes characterized as hazardous under the 1989 Basel Convention, or should it also address wastes defined as hazardous in national legislation? The negotiations started in 1993 in response to developing country concern about their lack of financial and technological capacity for cleaning up hazardous waste dumps and spills on their territory. Contact: Secretariat of the Basel Convention, Geneva Executive Center, 15 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219 Chƒtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland, telephone +41-22/979 1111, fax +41-22/797 3454, e-mail , website (www.unep.ch/basel). INTERAGENCY MEETING ON GENDER ISSUES Participants in an Interagency Consultative Meeting on Gender Issues, organized by the Economic Commission for Europe and held 4 October in Geneva, discussed trends concerning gender equality in countries in transition of Central and Eastern Europe; directions and priorities of agencies represented at the meeting in response to the situation; and a regional preparatory meeting on the 2000 Review of Implementation of the Beijing Platform For Action. Gender equality trends identified in transition countries included the impact on women of worsening economies in most countries, particularly in terms of poverty and employment; gender-based violence at times of war; physical and/or sexual violence toward women; growing evidence of trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation; increasing maternal mortality rates; decreasing life expectancy, including among young males; and political representation by women (the region has the second lowest percentage of female parliamentarians in the world). Directions and priorities by the agencies included developing gender statistics; assisting NGOs in strengthening their networks; launching national reports on the status of women; developing resource tools such as gender training manuals in local languages; creating trust funds to support regional initiatives; building close alliances with the media to promote gender issues; and creating websites on gender issues in the region. A representative of the Economic Commission for Europe briefed participants on a Beijing+5 regional preparatory meeting, to be held 19-21 January 2000 in Geneva. Contact: Economic Commission for Europe, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, fax +41-22/917 0036, website (www.unece.org). THIRD ROUND OF POPS TALKS Negotiators in a third round of talks, held 6-11 September in Geneva, reached agreement on proposals favouring elimination of the ten intentionally-produced persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the mandate for a treaty from the governing council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). At the same time, negotiators recognized the public health need for an exemption for DDT, which is used in controlling vector-born diseases such as malaria. According to Klaus T”pfer, UNEP Executive Director, "Negotiators found the proper way forward to provide protection from malaria and other vector-borne diseases by recognizing a need for the use of DDT while other countries move toward ultimate phase-out. This approach is a win-win situation: fewer cases of malaria and less use of DDT." UNEP is a full partner in the action plan of the World Health Organization (WHO) to reduce reliance on DDT for vector control while fully protecting public health. One hundred and fifteen countries participated in the talks, working with 17 intergovernmental and 72 non-governmental organizations. The proposals now go to participating countries for consultation, followed by consideration at the fourth round of negotiations, set for 20-25 March 2000 in Bonn (Germany). "This was a breakthrough meeting in protecting public health and the environment against these persistent organic pollutants," said Mr. T”pfer. "Concrete proposals were put forth to bring about an end to some of the worst pollutants of the 20th century. In addition, important gains were made in establishing scientific criteria and a procedure for identifying additional persistent organic pollutants for international action, thus building safeguards for the future." At the Geneva talks there was agreement on a procedure for adding chemicals to the convention. With the exception of a few remaining issues, the meeting agreed on scientific criteria and data requirements for screening and evaluation. It also laid groundwork for further consideration of proposals to advance technical and financial assistance, particularly for developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to enable implementation of the treaty. The meeting is formally known as the Third Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-3) for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants. It builds on the foundation for a treaty laid at sessions held in Montreal (Canada) from 29 June to 2 July 1998, and in Nairobi (Kenya) on 25-29 January 1999 (see Go Between 70 and 72). Contact: Jim Willis, Director, UNEP Chemicals, Geneva Executive Centre, 11-13 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219 Chƒtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 8183, fax +41-22/797 3460, e-mail , website (irptc.unep.ch) or (www.chem.unep.ch/pops). INFORMAL TALKS ON BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL Informal consultations regarding preparations for the resumed session of the first extraordinary meeting of the Conference of the Parties (ExCOP-1) to the Convention on Biological Diversity for the adoption of a protocol on biosafety were held in Vienna (Austria) from 15-19 September. More than 300 representatives from over 120 governments and approximately 70 representatives of non-governmental and industry organizations attended the consultation. The different regional groups present said that although the consultation had provided a good opportunity to make progress on a conceptual basis on some issues, there still remains significant work in order to progress on other important issues not addressed in Vienna. The informal consultations were held after governments suspended talks at ExCOP-1, held in February 1999 in Cartagena (Colombia). At that meeting (see Go Between 74), countries were unable to finalize the text of a biosafety protocol due to differences on a number of core and related issues. The international community is pursuing negotiations for a protocol under the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. The protocol would set out procedures in the field of the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology. The core component of the protocol is the Advance Informed Agreement (AIA) procedure, which would require an exporting country to obtain agreement of the importing country before the transfer of LMOs. Progress in negotiations has been stalled over a number of issues. Governments disagree over the proposed scope of the treaty's regulatory powers. Some want to restrict the protocol's scope to LMOs intended for introduction into the environment, such as seeds. Others argue for a broader scope that would include agricultural commodities and processed products containing dead modified organisms or non-living LMO components. Representatives of industry said the Vienna talks were encouraging since they were held in greater openness and showed stronger commitment to achieving a successful protocol. However Greenpeace, which demanded that states retain the right to ban genetically modified organisms, said the main development at the talks was the firm resolve of the so-called Like-Minded Group to insist on the right to reject the imports. Negotiating groups that emerged at ExCOP-1 are the Like-Minded Group (most developing countries), the Miami Group (Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and the United States), the European Union, the Central and Eastern European Countries, and the Compromise Group. Beth Burrows, Director of the Edmonds Institute, an NGO based in Washington state in the US, said she found the talks "extraordinarily disappointing." She noted in particular what she described as the "continuing intransigence and pursuit of commercial self-interest by the so-called Miami Group in disregard to all else, including the ecological health of the planet. Thank heavens for all of us that the Like-Minded Group is strongly committed to real biosafety." At the end of the Vienna consultation, it was announced that the resumed session of ExCOP-1 will take place in Montreal (Canada) from 24-28 January 2000, with the aim of resolving outstanding differences and concluding the biosafety protocol. The resumed session will be preceded by another round of informal regional and interregional consultations, which will take place from 20-22 January 2000 in Montreal. Contact: Biosafety Programme, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, World Trade Centre, 393 St. Jacques Street, Office 300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9, telephone +1-514/288 2220, fax +1-514/288 6588, e-mail , website (www.biodiv.org). WORLD HABITAT DAY: CITIES FOR ALL World Habitat Day was observed on 4 October with, among other events around the world, a ceremony in Dalian (China). With the theme "Cities for All," this year's celebrations were designed to coincide with the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) launching of two major campaigns during the biennium 2000-2001: one on urban governance, the other on security of tenure. Habitat Day was also observed at UN headquarters in New York with a panel presentation on Cities for All, followed by discussion. Participants included representatives of governments, the UN, NGOs, indigenous peoples, academia and the media. In a message for the occasion, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that "when this century opened, one in ten people lived in cities. As we prepare to leave it, more than half of humankind does." Habitat dedicated the day to "all urban residents who are excluded from enjoying the benefits of urban life, either because their physical, social or economic condition does not allow them to participate in urban activities, or because they are not legally or politically recognized as citizens of the cities in which they live." According to UN estimates, over half the urban population in most developing countries lives in informal settlements that are neither recognized nor serviced by city authorities. "The urban poor are the most excluded group in cities," said Klaus T”pfer, Acting Executive Director of Habitat. "They live in constant fear of eviction and most do not have access to formal finance and loan schemes which could enable them to improve their living conditions. Yet this invisible majority is indispensable to the economy of the city." Women and girls are also excluded from fully realizing their rights to the city, Mr. T”pfer noted. "Urban planners often fail to acknowledge that women's needs are different from men's." Other groups often excluded from city planning processes include the homeless, youth, the elderly, persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities. The Habitat Agenda, adopted by governments at the 1996 Habitat II conference, affirmed that policies and programmes for the development of human settlements require strong, open and accountable local government institutions working in partnership with all interested parties. Mr. T”pfer noted that democratic debate has already transformed the ways in which some local authorities plan and manage urban areas. For example in Porto Alegre (Brazil), approximately 25% of the city's budget is managed by its residents. Security of tenure is also a key factor, according to Mr. T”pfer. Guaranteeing legal protection against forced eviction, harassment and other threats leads to improved living standards. It is also one of the most important catalysts in stabilizing communities, improving shelter conditions, reducing social exclusion, improving access to urban services, leveraging corporate and individual investment and improving the urban environment. Contact: Sharad Shankardass, Press and Media Unit, UNCHS (Habitat), PO Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623153, fax +254-2/624060, e-mail , website (www.unchs.org). HDR FOR EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES The Human Development Report for Central and Eastern Europe and the CIS 1999, published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), says that while some countries' gains in the region are impressive, most are suffering "troubled transitions" and some are unravelling in a traumatic way. "Despite the many advances," says the report, "the losses in human security have been severe. The gains in freedom have been accompanied by the loss of many of the basic economic and social rights." The process of transition in the region has had huge human development costs, many of which still continue unabated, says the report. The biggest single cost has been the loss of lives represented by the decline in life expectancy in several major countries of the region. For example in the Russian Federation life expectancy between 1989 and 1997 for men fell from 64 to 61 years, and for women from 75 to 73 years. "Most regrettably," says the report, "the trends in life expectancy have meant that several million people have not survived the 1990s who would have done so if the life expectancy levels achieved in the 1990s had been maintained." The report highlights the extraordinary rise in poverty both income and human poverty in the region. "In some countries," it says, "...income poverty has reached extraordinary levels." For example in Armenia a Ministry of Statistics survey in 1996 found that about 55% of households were poor, and of these half were "very poor." In Kyrgyzstan 71% of the population has an income below the poverty line which is based on the assumption that 60% of total income is spent on the food needed just for survival. Human poverty which UNDP defines as the lack of basic capabilities has also been on the rise. Malnutrition has become a serious problem, for example, in many countries. A recent study in Poland shows that 60% of children suffer from some form of malnutrition. Other costs of transition include considerable deterioration of education and the rise in unemployment and underemployment. Huge numbers of people have also been driven into low-paying and insecure employment in the informal sector. Even those still formally employed are not guaranteed payment of their wages. In 1989 about 14 million people in the former Communist bloc lived on less than US$4 a day; the number had risen to 147 million by the mid-1990s. The report's policy recommendations focus on stimulating a higher level of investment, including in human capabilities, to encourage economic recovery; developing institutional capacities of the state to, among other things, implement social policies; and addressing the health crisis that afflicts many countries of the region. Contact: Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS, UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/906 5000, fax +1-212/906 6267, website (www.undp.org/rbec/new). To order the report, contact: UN Publications, 2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-853, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 8302, fax +1-212/963 3489, e-mail or UN Publications, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/907 2606 or 907 4872, fax +41-22/917 0027, e-mail . UNEP/HABITAT YUGOSLAVIA TASK FORCE The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) Balkans Task Force has concluded its assessment of the environmental and human settlement impact of conflict in Yugoslavia. The task force, established in May, visited Yugoslavia in July to assess environmental damage caused by the conflict at selected industrial sites. It also visited in August to survey possible impacts on the Danube River (see Go Between 76). An inter-agency Desk Assessment Group involving UNEP, the World Health Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency and the Swedish Radiation Institute has also been examining the use and impact of depleted uranium ammunition. As the last task force team left Yugoslavia on 13 September, chair Pekka Haavisto played down concerns of ecological catastrophe but said action was needed to deal with environmental "hot spots" identified by task force scientists. "Pancevo and Kragujevac are two hot spots of particular concern," he said. "In Pancevo there is an urgent need to clean up the two kilometre stretch of heavily polluted canal which feeds into the Danube River, and to remove the mercury on the ground at the petrochemical factory." The task force recommended that Yugoslav authorities immediately remove toxic waste at the Zastava car factory in Kragujevac, which they termed "a serious threat to the human health of people working there." The team has also been assessing possible consequences of the conflict for biodiversity in protected areas. (Approximately 4% of Yugoslavia is classified as nature protected areas.) Extensive data was gathered during visits to Fruska Gora and Kopaonik national parks, Zlatibor, and Lake Skadar in Montenegro. "There has clearly been some localized impact with vegetation damaged as a result of direct impact from the bombs," said Mr. Haavisto. "Also some endangered species in the vulnerable highland areas may have been affected, which is a cause for concern." Although the long-term impact on the region's biodiversity would probably be "minimal," he said he is concerned about "the amount of unexploded ordnance in the national parks. It is unclear exactly how much is there, but its presence is hindering management and maintenance of these areas which are key areas for recreation and tourism." Contact: Henrik Slotte, Head, Balkans Task Force Chairman's Office, Geneva Executive Centre, 11 chemin des An‚mones, CH-1219 Chƒtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 8616, fax +41-22/917 8064, e-mail , website (www.grid.unep.ch/btf). WFP EMERGENCY OPERATIONS The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched a US$5.6 million emergency operation for East Timor in September to deliver food and blankets to tens of thousands of people hiding in the mountains from political violence. "We are very pleased that we have finally been able to start food deliveries to East Timor," said Judith Cheng-Hopkins, WFP Director for Asia. "We knew that there were at least 50,000 people in an extremely vulnerable state for more than a week foraging for food and sleeping in very cold temperatures without adequate covering." WFP is giving a food "basket" of maize, high-energy biscuits, vegetable oil and pulses to 150,000 of the most vulnerable people over a two-month period. At the same time, the agency will conduct an assessment of food needs in the province in order to prepare a subsequent six-month plan for a larger number of people. In October WFP said it was severely cutting back its emergency and post-war reconstruction assistance in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea because of lack of funding. Donors have so far provided less than 20% of the US$106 million needed by WFP to feed 1.8 million refugees and internally displaced people in the region. With no new contributions since July 1999, WFP has been unable to purchase sufficient quantities of food aid for its operations. "In Sierra Leone, for example, since August, we have been operating at 35% of our expected level," said Paul ArŠs, WFP Regional Manager for the West Africa Coastal Region. "WFP's food aid crisis in the region is also having an impact on the planning for Sierra Leone of other humanitarian agencies." WFP and other humanitarian agencies are beginning to go to areas of Sierra Leone that have been inaccessible for months or years due to war and insecurity. People in some of these areas have been found living in the bush with high levels of malnutrition. Contact: Jeff Rowland, Information Officer, WFP, Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, I-00148 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/6513 2971, fax +39-06/6513 2840, website (www.wfp.org). SOUTH-SOUTH SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN 2000 The Group of 77 will hold its first ever South Summit in Havana (Cuba) from 10-14 April 2000. The decision to convene the G-77 summit was made in September 1997 by the Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77. The South Summit will be the largest gathering of heads of state and government from the 133 developing country members of the Group of 77. The outcome of the South Summit will comprise two documents: a forward-looking declaration, which will be visionary and strategic in its outlook and set out priorities for future action; and an action-oriented document with clearly defined measures, targets and timeframes. The main themes the South Summit will address are: globalization; North-South relations; South-South cooperation; and knowledge and technology. The schedule of meetings for the year 2000 of the summit's preparatory committee (PrepCom) will be decided by the fifth substantive session of the PrepCom, to be held in New York in December. Contact: Office of the Chairman of the Group of 77, United Nations, Room S-3959, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 0192, fax +1-212/963 3515, e-mail , website (www.g77.org). ECLAC ISSUES ECONOMIC SURVEY The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has released its 1998-1999 Economic Survey of the region, which outlines major trends in regional economies from the closing balance of 1998 through the first half of this year. The survey reports that following the region's performance in 1997, when gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 5.4%, growth in 1998 fell to 2.3%. This was due mainly to the international financial crisis, natural disasters, and the recession in Brazil a country that accounts for 40% of Latin America's GDP. There are signs that recovery will begin in the third and last quarters of 1999, the survey says. As a result regional GDP growth this year will fall only slightly by approximately 0.4%, and begin to rise in the year 2000. The crisis triggered in Asia in 1997 adversely affected trade and capital flows, the survey notes. The value of regional exports fell in 1998 for the first time in ten years, and imports also lost momentum. As a result the regional current account deficit rose from 3.4% of GDP in 1997 to 4.5% in 1998, reaching more than US$89,000 million, an increase only comparable with that at the beginning of the 1980s. Capital inflows, according to the survey, were insufficient to offset the growing deficits of the region. This led to the use of reserves to balance external accounts, as well as calling upon the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance. While the flow of incoming capital as a whole fell, foreign direct investment remained steady. The level of issues in bonds, shares and bank loans, however, suffered an abrupt drop. Brazil was most affected by this situation and required an international financial aid programme. It involved fiscal adjustment to ensure a steady decline of the public debt relative to GDP, and a range of revenue-raising measures and expenditure cuts concentrated at the federal level. Deterioration of the current account began to be reversed in several countries from the end of 1998, the survey says, and ECLAC expects that in 1999 the deficit will be cut to US$75,000 million, or 3.5% of GDP. If the current international environment holds, the survey asserts that it should be possible to finance the deficit without falling back on reserves. The overall decline in exports experienced by the region in the second half of 1998 worsened in the first quarter of 1999. Terms of trade deteriorated, and intra-regional trade contracted after having expanded for more than a decade. The reduction of exports was especially pronounced in countries in South and Central America hit by natural disasters. Growth continued, however, in export volume in most of Central America and the Caribbean. The survey found this was due largely to expanding consumption abroad as well as the relative stability of the United States market. In spite of this growth, the trade balance on the whole deteriorated in 1998. Another key characteristic highlighted by ECLAC was a drop in inflation, from a weighted rate of 10% in 1998 to less than 9% in the twelve months ending in June 1999. As a result, the rate of price rises in the past two years has been the lowest in 50 years. The survey notes that falling inflation had a modest positive effect on wages and salaries, which in 1998 rose by an average of 0.7% in real terms in the 14 countries for which information was available. Unemployment, however, has begun to rise after falling in 1997. The overall rate reached 7.5% in the first half of 1998 and 8.5% in the same period in 1999, the highest level this decade. Public investment fell as a consequence of a drop in savings in state institutions and scant access to external financial markets. Private investment, especially by small and medium-sized businesses, shrank due to high interest rates. Foreign direct investment continued to play a dynamic role, according to the survey, especially in energy, manufacturing and services. In some countries, natural disasters damaged the stock of productive capital and infrastructure. Contact: ECLAC Document Distribution Unit, Casilla 179-D, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile, fax +56-2/210 2069, e-mail , website (www.eclac.org). UN NGO NEWS BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY An international conference on Biotechnology in the Global Economy, held 2-3 September in Cambridge (United States), brought together some 200 participants from government, industry, academia, civil society and international organizations. The conference, organized by the Harvard University Center for International Development (CID) and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, examined issues related to biotechnology in the context of globalization. Participants met in four plenary sessions, where keynote speeches were presented on science and economy in the new millennium; science, technology and international development; biotechnology in the global economy; and possible future steps. Nine panel discussions were held on the evolution of the biotechnology industry; biotechnology in international trade; intellectual property rights (IPRs) in biotechnology; biotechnology and international relations; bioprospecting; biotechnology in developing countries; environmental aspects of biotechnology; biotechnology and human health; and ethics, social values and biotechnology. The conference aimed to broaden debate on biotechnology beyond discussions concerning biosafety. The issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), particularly crops and foodstuffs, has provoked heated public debate, and policy-makers have had difficulty reaching consensus on the matter in international fora considering different aspects of biotechnology. These include the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Commission on Access to Genetic Resources, Codex Alimentarius, World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Conference of Parties. Advocates of biotechnology have argued for approaches that support its rapid deployment, while critics have opposed its use. They cite moral and economic concerns along with uncertainties regarding long-term health and environmental impacts. These positions were reflected in debates at the Cambridge conference concerning different agricultural paradigms that are currently competing in international trade and domestic markets around the world. The conference sought to build on the premise that maximizing benefits of biotechnology and minimizing its risks will require adjustments in existing institutions including organizations, laws, regulations, administrative practices and social routines that vary across the world's diverse cultures. A summary paper prepared by conference chair Calestous Juma, Special Advisor to the Center for International Development, notes that while many of the concerns raised in debates on biotechnology are technical in nature, underlying them are fundamental issues about governance. These are primarily related to control, equity and choice. He proposes that a key step in seeking answers to some of the issues is to "provide a wide range of forums for consultation, popular participation and dialogue and exchange of ideas at different levels. Such consultations could be guided by research results and other scientific and technical inputs. Mechanisms such as national, regional and global commissions could play an important role in establishing a basis for broader participation in the management of emerging technologies." Contact: Center for International Development at Harvard University, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge MA 02138, United States, telephone +1-617/496 9683, website (www.cid.harvard.edu/cidbiotech/homepage.htm). UNEP, AFRICAN NGOS MEET More than 50 delegates representing various African NGOs met at headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi (Kenya) from 20-22 September for a workshop aimed at strengthening collaborative links with UNEP. They also discussed preparations for the Seoul International Conference of NGOs, held from 10-16 October. The basis and framework of the workshop was a recent decision of the UNEP Governing Council to strengthen partnerships with Major Groups identified in Agenda 21 and civil society at large to ensure their active involvement in sustainable development. At the workshop UNEP's support for Africa was reiterated and an invitation extended to NGOs to assist UNEP in implementation of its African initiatives. An interactive capacity building session on the theme Women, Sustainable Development and Governance permitted exchange of views on the key role of women in ecosystem management and control of environmental degradation. Among other things, delegates drafted a position paper to be presented at the Seoul conference. Contact: Tore J. Brevik, Spokesman and Director, Communications and Public Information Branch, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623292, fax +254-2/623692, e-mail , website (www.unep.org). NGO COMMITTEE VOTES ON CSI STATUS On 7 September the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations voted by majority to ask ECOSOC to take action on the committee's previous recommendation to withdraw consultative status from the NGO Christian Solidarity International (CSI). The committee had been asked by ECOSOC to reconsider the case of CSI and report back to ECOSOC at its resumed session on 16 September (see NGLS Roundup, No. 44). The committee convened a day-long meeting to hear a statement by, and ask questions of, a CSI representative in order to gather additional information regarding an incident that occurred at the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in March in Geneva. The representative of the Sudan told the committee that "the said NGO had accredited as its representative at the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, to address the meeting of the Commission on 23 March 1999, the leader of the terrorist secessionist rebel movement in the southern Sudan, Dr. John Garang. He started his statement by identifying himself as the Commander of SPLM and of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). My delegation related in its complaint a detailed account of this incident, explaining the flagrant violation by this NGO of the regulations governing the relationship between the UN and NGOs, in particular as set forth in ECOSOC Resolution 1996/31." He added that "we do not deny any organization its right to accredit whomever it wishes; but we stress that the accredited representatives of organizations, while addressing respectable international forums, do not have the right to abuse the forum available by propagating hatred, and terrorist and secessionist ideas as well as carrying out politically motivated acts." The CSI representative acknowledged that the incident had taken place, but noted that a prompt apology had been offered to the CHR chair. The CSI reiterated its apology to the committee and said it would redouble efforts to ensure that its representatives fully respect the regulations and practices pertaining to activities of accredited NGOs. CSI said that in the future it would consult closely with the appropriate United Nations NGO liaison offices regarding correct procedures. CSI maintained the incident did not constitute a pattern of acts against the principles of the UN Charter; thus the withdrawal of its consultative status would be unwarranted according to ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. The CSI representative stated that if consultative status were to be withdrawn from CSI, it would establish a negative precedent as the present case affects all NGOs. He also said it would be a great misfortune for the defenders of human rights if a precedent was set whereby any NGO involved in a technical-procedural error was punished unduly on the basis of one case. After hearing these statements, several delegations said they continue to believe that the incident should entail withdrawal of CSI's consultative status with ECOSOC. Many delegates felt that the incident was not a procedural error as CSI claimed, but rather a substantive error. However the representatives of France, Ireland and Romania said they supported a less severe sanction in the form of suspension of the consultative status of CSI. The representatives of France and Ireland expressed their satisfaction with adherence to the procedures set out in ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, but found that CSI had shown no pattern of systematic abuse of its privileges. The United States unsuccessfully offered a counter proposal to recommend suspension of consultative status for less than three years, rather than outright withdrawal. Fourteen member states voted in favour of recommending action on the prior decision to withdraw consultative status (Algeria, Bolivia, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ethiopia, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia and Turkey); one voted against (United States); and there were four abstentions (Chile, France, Ireland and Romania). UNIFEM ANTI-VIOLENCE FUND PROJECTS The Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence Against Women, established by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in 1996, has selected 16 new projects to support in its fourth grant cycle. This brings the total number of projects supported by the trust fund to 87. In the Africa region, the Network of Zimbabwean Positive Women, a group of HIV-positive activists, will work at the community level to fight discrimination against women who have contracted the virus that causes AIDS. The Department of Preventative and Social Medicine at the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) will conduct research and initiate an advocacy campaign to prevent violence against young girls in the country's urban areas. The Association to Fight Violence Against Women will launch a nation-wide public education radio campaign in Cameroon on violence against women and its impact on the health of women and girls. Isis Women's International Cross Cultural Exchange will produce two documentary films in Uganda on violence against women that took place during the armed conflicts in that country from 1980-1997. In the Asia region, SAATHI (Nepal), will review implementation of the media section of the Beijing Platform for Action of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women to develop a gender-sensitive code of conduct for print and broadcast journalists. Earth Rights International will work to enable Burmese refugee women living in Thailand to understand their right to be free from violence, develop their own culturally appropriate strategies to fight violence, and educate the larger community about the many forms of violence against women. The Vietnam Women's Union will gather data on the current situation of domestic violence in the country and build the capacity of communities to assist women who are subject to violence. Isis International-Manila will develop a code of conduct for the media in the Philippines to promote gender-sensitive representation, eliminate stereotypical portrayals of women, and contribute to the prevention of violence against women in all forms of print, broadcast and electronic media. In the Latin America and Caribbean region, the Washington Office on Latin America will implement a year-long training project on advocacy skills for leaders of women's organizations working to eradicate violence against women in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Womankind (Peru), will work with Demus, a local NGO, to improve the quality of services provided to victims of gender-based violence through training on women's legal rights and awareness raising of municipal authorities. The Pinelands Creative Workshop will combine art, music, dance and poetry to raise community awareness of gender-based violence and violence prevention in Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. In Central and Eastern Europe the Humanitarian Association for the Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women in Macedonia will unite government representatives, lawyers, journalists and local and international women's rights activists to draft new laws and policies and organize a mass lobbying effort to ensure that legislation relating to the elimination of violence against women is operationalized. The Gender Project for Bulgaria Foundation will launch a media and educational campaign on gender-based violence through popular television and radio programmes, and mobilize a nationwide NGO forum. In Croatia, the Center for Women War Victims will provide legal advice to women victims of pre- and post-war violence, and it will promote legislative and institutional support for women refugees and victims of war crimes. At the inter-regional level, the Housing Rights and Eviction Organization will conduct an action-oriented research project in the Middle East, Africa and Asia on violence against women as a result of forced eviction. It will also establish an electronic list-serve with information on the issue from around the world. At the international level, Change will collect and analyze legislation on non-consensual sex in marriage and build a database of information that can be accessed by NGOs, governments and individuals advocating for the protection of women's sexual rights. Contact: Mika Ichihara, UNIFEM, Room FF-1630, United Nations, New York, NY 10017 United States, telephone +1-212/906 6400, fax +1-212/906 6705, e-mail , website (www.unifem.undp.org). DPI LAUNCHES CIVIL SOCIETY WEBSITE An enhanced civil society website was launched by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) in September. The objective of the site is to offer informative and easily-accessible data on 40 major issues facing the United Nations. To access the website, users should go to the UN homepage (www.un.org) and then click on the civil society/business button. The enhanced website provides issue-based information on the UN's work, its agencies, funds and programmes. Statements of the Secretary-General and the Deputy-Secretary-General on UN priorities are also accessible by theme. The website explains how NGOs qualify for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) or can become associated with DPI. Among other things the website links users with UN Depository Libraries and UN Associations worldwide, and young people can be linked directly with CyberSchoolBus and model UN projects. Calendars of events and NGO directories, as well as United Nations system publications on specific issues on the General Assembly's agenda can also be accessed. UN DIRECTORY OF AFRICAN NGOS The UN Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries (OSCAL) has prepared and published Networking: Directory of African NGOs. The directory is the result of a recommendation made by the Panel of High-Level Personalities on African Development, which advises the UN Secretary-General, and an outcome of a long process of evaluation and review. It provides information on the broad scope of activities of over 1,500 African NGOs and 338 regional and international organizations involved in African development. The directory aims to foster networking among African NGOs and increase the effectiveness of grassroots development initiatives through information sharing. It is designed to serve as a useful tool in bridging the communication gap between development partners at the national level, as governments and NGOs become aware of their common interests and recognize that their combined power can help meet priorities established by the UN New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF). Contact: Ruth Engo, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, OSCAL/DESA, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 4780, fax +1-212/963 3892, website (www.un.org/esa/africa). NGO NEWS "TERMINATOR TECHNOLOGY" DROPPED Public reaction, including protests by NGOs, are being credited in large part for the Monsanto company's decision in October not to commercialize so-called terminator technology, which makes seeds sterile. Those opposed to the technology, especially from rural areas including NGOs, consumer groups and farmers' organizations in developing countries warn of, among other things, serious environmental and social implications. The announcement was made by Robert Shapiro, Monsanto Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, in an open letter to the Rockefeller Foundation. "We are making a public commitment not to commercialize sterile seed technologies," the letter said, "....based on input from you and a wide range of other experts and stakeholders, including our very important grower constituency." However Mr. Shapiro said that Monsanto holds patents on technological approaches to gene protection "that do not render seeds sterile and has studied one that would inactivate only the specific gene(s) responsible for the value-added biotech trait. We are not currently investing resources to develop these technologies, but we do not rule out their future development and use for gene protection or their possible agronomic benefits." Congratulations for the decision "should go to the civil society organizations, farmers, scientists and governments all over the world who have waged highly effective anti-Terminator campaigns during the past 18 months," said Pat Mooney, Executive Director of Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), based in Canada. "Monsanto has taken a positive step, but let's not forget that farmers can never depend on the charity and good will of the Gene Giants' to reject immoral technologies. Without government action to firmly reject Terminator and Traitor technology [which switches on or off genetic traits vital to a crop's productivity], these...will be commercialized within a few years with potentially disastrous consequences." RAFI, among other groups, is urging national governments to take action at the World Trade Organization and elsewhere to reject the technology. Contact: RAFI, 110 Osborne Street, Suite 202, Winnipeg MB, Canada R3L 1Y5, telephone +1-204/453 5259, fax +1-204/925 8034, e-mail , website (www.rafi.org). NGO INITIATIVES ON ANGOLA NGOs based in Canada, the Netherlands and United States are launching a Peace-Building Initiative for Resolution of the Angolan Conflict in partnership with Angolan NGOs. The aim of the initiative is to clarify and strengthen their respective governments' positions on Angola. The initiative's first event will be a roundtable in Ottawa (Canada) on 26 November. Participants will include Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, Robert Fowler; Canadian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy; other government officials; NGOs and church representatives from Angola including the Council of Christian Churches in Angola; as well as a coalition of Canadian NGOs including Alternatives, United Church of Canada and Development Workshop. Dates for similar meetings in the Netherlands, to be coordinated by the Netherlands Institute on Southern Africa (NIZA) and Interchurch Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO), and in the United States, to be coordinated by the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN), will be set soon. According to Development Workshop, support for peace-building in Angola is at a crucial stage due to a lack of openness on the part of both the UNITA rebel movement and the Angolan government, as well as the failure of international mediation. However there are national Angolan initiatives, such as the Manifesto for Peace signed on 16 July by NGO, church and civic leaders, and some opposition parties. The manifesto calls for establishing a climate where peace and reconciliation can take place. The Peace-Building Initiative is an effort to build upon such efforts. Part of the roundtable in Ottawa will focus on assessing and evaluating the role of the United Nations in Angola through the Security Council, the UN Committee for the Promotion of Peace in Angola, United Nations sanctions against UNITA, and the ways in which that role might be strengthened. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has announced arrangements to establish a UN office in Angola to support human rights and explore effective measures aimed to restore peace in the war-torn country. In his role as Chairman of the UN Security Council Angola Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Fowler of Canada has set up a Special Expert Panel on Angola Sanctions in an effort, among other things, to strengthen UN sanctions against UNITA. The panel has met twice in New York this year to organize its work, which includes collecting information on the sources and methods of violations of sanctions regimes, as well as recommending measures both to end those violations and improve the implementation of sanctions. Speaking of Angola, Minister Axworthy has said that "the implementation of sanctions is the raison d'ˆtre of the Sanctions Committee. It is Canada's aim to develop tougher measures to constrain the trade in arms, diamonds and other resources, thereby making it more difficult for UNITA to wage war." In this context, Minister Axworthy has applauded the decision by the De Beers company to place an embargo on the purchase of all diamonds from Angola by its buying offices around the world. Contact: Michel Lambert, Alternatives, 3720 du Parc, Suite 300, Montreal, QC, Canada, telephone +1-514/982 6606, fax +1-514/982 6122, e-mail . SOUTHERN AGENDA FOR WTO The Centre for International Trade, Economics and Environment of the Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) held a conference on 18-19 August in Bangalore (India) entitled Southern Agenda for the Next Millennium: Role of the Civil Society. The conference brought together over 50 delegates from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), NGOs and research institutes to discuss the contribution that civil society organizations can make to the ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to be held 30 November to 3 December in Seattle (United States). The conference covered topics including Assessment of the Gains and Losses of the Uruguay Round Agreements; Implementation Concerns of the Uruguay Round Agreements; Linkage Issues; Forthcoming Review of the Uruguay Round Agreements; and "New" Issues. A summary paper highlighting the deliberations says that "a vision of the world order that gives countries the space to implement their own strategies of sustainable, multi-dimensional development, while respecting the priorities of other countries, is the starting point of this agenda." The paper highlights the need for coordination by Southern governments as well as civil society. "Southern countries," it says, "must strategically coordinate to identify their common interests, and collectively negotiate to advance them. Civil society must ensure that equity and social justice are given high priority in the negotiating positions of these countries. This process also requires that Southern governments encourage, support and collaborate with civil society organizations in their own countries. Strategic coordination cannot be effective in promoting joint objectives unless this broad range of resources is effectively used." Concerning the structure of the WTO, the paper says that "for the WTO to have any chance of advancing Southern interests, concerted action by the Southern governments and civil society organizations is essential. A multilateral trade and financial system that is resistant to the unequal bargaining power between South and North cannot emerge without collective action by Southern countries." Discussions at the conference concerning agriculture and food security focused on the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture. The paper says that the reality of the Agreement on Agriculture is far from the expectations of the Southern countries; it has forced them to stop supporting their own farmers, while opening up their markets to the heavily subsidized producers from the North. It says opening up trade in agriculture, under whatever conditions, cannot be given precedence over the sovereign responsibility of governments to ensure food security. The paper also criticizes the linking of environmental and labour issues to a trade enforcement agenda. "Environmental and social issues are an integral part of any vision of sustainable development," it says. "Trade restrictive measures are neither appropriate nor effective mechanisms to address these problems. They need to be advanced through independent policy routes supported by international cooperation." The final issue taken up by the paper is the conflict between the Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The paper argues that the CBD acknowledges sovereignty and the rights of communities to share in the benefits of biological diversity, neither of which is acknowledged by TRIPs. The paper calls for the forthcoming review to "to amend TRIPs to bring it in line with CBD." Contact: Pradeep S. Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS, D-218 Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park, Jaipur 302016, India, telephone +91-141/202940, fax +91-141/202968, e-mail , website (www.cuts-india.org). REPORT ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN A study on violence against women, commissioned by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), says that the structure and content of international human rights law reflects a "system where women's experiences with violence, repression and abuse have been factored out of the international legal process." In its review of the main international human rights conventions, the study found that none has fully incorporated a gender perspective. Only the Convention on the Rights of the Child consistently uses both feminine and masculine pronouns in its provisions and explicitly states that the rights apply to both girls and boys. The first part of the report examines the international human rights system. It finds that one of the main reasons for neglect of women's issues by the main human rights conventions is the "normative structure of international law, with its dichotomy between public and private spheres." While civil and political rights draw most of the attention of the human rights community, many of the violations suffered by women are tied to their disadvantages on the economic, social and cultural fronts. The scant attention on economic, social and cultural rights has stood in the way of women's progress, the study finds. It also assesses the performance of entities created by the various human rights conventions to oversee compliance by signatory states. For example it says the UN Committee Against Torture "has done little to incorporate a gender-perspective into its work." The committee has failed to dedicate sufficient attention to gender-based forms of torture and mistreatment by public authorities, and has failed to address the question of state responsibility in adopting measures to prevent acts by private individuals, according to the report. The second part of the report discusses violence against women in 78 countries from a de jure and de facto point of view. This section finds that in certain countries being a woman is in itself life-threatening. Numerous cases of violence against women perpetrated in the family are cited including domestic violence, marital rape, honour killing, son preference, dowry and bride-price violence, female genital mutilation, infanticide and incest. In the community, women face such abuses as rape and sexual violence, sexual harassment, trafficking, forced prostitution and violence against migrant workers. At the state level, custodial violence against women, violence against women in situations of armed conflict, and violence against displaced and refugee women are documented. While there are some encouraging signs of progress in the development and implementation of new legislation and procedures with respect to violence against women, the study says that states are overwhelmingly failing their international as well as national obligations to prevent, investigate, prosecute and punish violence against women. Contact: OMCT International Secretariat, PO Box 35-37 Rue de Varemb‚, CH-1211 Geneva CIC 20, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/733 3140, fax +41-22/733 1051, e-mail , website (www.omct.org). MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL FORUM The theme of this year's annual Montreal International Forum, held from 8-10 September, was The Changing Role of Civil Society in the Multilateral System. About 40 people attended from around the world, mainly representing NGOs active in the policy deliberations of various multilateral institutions. They exchanged experiences of policy work concerning the UN and the recent global conferences, the Commission on Sustainable Development, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, the Multilateral Environment Agreements, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS and the International Criminal Court. During the forum, arranged around plenary and workshop sessions, NGO representatives also identified strategies that had been successful, lessons learned and priority areas for future activity. The forum provided a rare opportunity for NGO representatives to take stock of and evaluate their recent experiences with regard to the multilateral system. They compared the formal mechanisms for NGO consultation and the impact on policy deliberations, and emphasized the importance of public mobilization, especially concerning trade and finance issues. A number of papers on case studies to help focus the discussions will be published, together with the forum's discussions and main policy recommendations. The publication will also be presented as a contribution to the World Civil Society Conference (WOCSOC), to be held in Montreal in December (see Go Between 75). The forum was established in 1998 with a view to improving the influence of international civil society on the United Nations and the multilateral system. The forum is committed to the stated goals of the UN and believes that the active participation of civil society can strengthen their achievement. Contact: Montreal International Forum, 380 St.-Antoine West, Suite 3200, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 3X7, telephone +1-514/ 499 9468, fax +1-514/ 987 1567, e-mail . ADOPT-A-MINEFIELD CAMPAIGN The Adopt-A-Minefield campaign's new website gives information about how individuals and groups can start local programmes to eradicate landmines, adopt minefields or make contributions. The website also features stories, video clips, a photo gallery and games. The campaign is coordinated by the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) in partnership with the United Nations and other groups. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has overall management responsibilities for the programme within the United Nations system. The campaign seeks national and international sponsors to adopt minefields that the United Nations has identified as being in urgent need of clearance. Sponsors raise funds in their communities to clear their adopted minefields and return land to productive use. Contact: UNA-USA, 801 Second Avenue, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/907 1300, fax +1-212/682 9185, e-mail , website (www.unausa.org/programs/aam/adoptamine.htm). FOCUS OPENING AND GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 54TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY The 54th General Assembly (GA) opened on 14 September with a statement from newly elected GA President, Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia), and by admitting three new member states. Go Between summarizes these decisions as well as the debates. In his opening address to the General Assembly, Mr. Gurirab spoke about the ongoing reform of the United Nations and said that the process should be consistent with the end product desired by everyone, including review of the veto power of the Security Council. "At the end," he said, "we should be satisfied that the United Nations belongs to all its Member States collectively and individually." While reform negotiations must continue, any "quick fix" which smacked of apartheid could not be tolerated, he added. Mr. Gurirab has been Minister for Foreign Affairs of Namibia since his country's independence in March 1990. He also served for 14 years as the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) Chief Representative to the United Nations. The assembly admitted as the 186th, 187th and 188th member states the Republics of Kiribati and Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga. Rene Harris, President of the Republic of Nauru, noted that the Pacific state is now the smallest member of the organization in terms of both territory and population. He called for support of the international community in addressing Nauru's twin challenges of economic diversification and physical rehabilitation. General Debate Over a period of almost three weeks, the General Assembly listened to a total of 180 speakers, many among them heads of state and foreign ministers. This year, many speakers framed their comments around various aspects of globalization. They spoke of the opportunities it brings but also of the increasing marginalization of poorer countries. They expressed concern that developing countries face countless obstacles in taking full advantage of global markets, technology and ideas. United States President Bill Clinton asked if globalism would "bring shared prosperity, or make the desperate of the world even more desperate?" In order for the benefits of globalization to be shared equitably within and between all states, many governments argued, the multilateral system should be strengthened including support for the UN and its work for global peace, human security, prosperity and sustainable development. The Minister for Foreign Affairs for India affirmed that the state also must continue to have responsibility to protect the needy and to strengthen the weak. Special attention was given to the concerns of small island developing states (SIDS) in light of the special session to review the Programme of Action for SIDS. "Countries like ours need the continued support of the international community to ensure that our development is not sacrificed on the altar of globalization and trade liberalization," remarked the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis. The President of the Federated States of Micronesia urged the United Nations to adopt a Vulnerability Index, which would take into consideration the environmental and natural risks faced by SIDS in addition to macro-economic factors in their overall economic development planning (see NGLS Roundup, No. 47). Many countries responded to the Secretary-General's report on the work of the organization and his emphasis on human rights. Conflicting views were expressed over securing human rights at the expense of national sovereignty. The Minister of Foreign Affairs from China observed that such arguments as "human rights taking precedence over sovereignty" and "humanitarian intervention" seem to be in vogue. "The issue of human rights is," he said, "in essence, an internal affair of a country, and should be addressed mainly by the government of that country through its own efforts....The Kosovo crisis has proved that to make the so-called humanitarian intervention in a sovereign state with neither a mandate from the UN Security Council nor prior consent of the country concerned will cause greater humanitarian catastrophe instead of resolving the problem." The Cuban delegate affirmed that attempts to impose notions such as humanitarian intervention and the limitation of sovereignty do not favour international security and pose a threat to countries of the Third World, which have neither powerful armies nor nuclear weapons. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ireland, however, argued that the Secretary-General should be encouraged to "use to the full" powers under the Charter to deal with challenges faced by the international community. Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa, drew the conclusion that the process of globalization necessarily redefines the concept and practice of national sovereignty. "The frontiers of that sovereignty," he said, "are being pushed back, especially regards the smaller countries of the world." He observed, however, that this presents an opportunity to reinforce the impact of these countries on the system of global governance through democratization of the system of international relations. On peace and security issues, member states often referred to the United Nations as the only body capable of tackling the myriad of complex and often violent conflicts around the world. Many mentioned the crises in Kosovo and East Timor and the obvious role for intervention on the part of the UN. However, delegates also pointed out the need to strengthen and reform the organization to deal with such cases. For example, Japan called for the Security Council to be re-created in terms of composition to better reflect the present international situation. The United Kingdom, a permanent member, conceded that a "small" increase in the size of permanent membership would be a modest price to pay for the big increase in its credibility. The Minister for Foreign Affairs for Indonesia said that "although its work is focused on conflict situations that are mostly in the developing world, developing countries are woefully under-represented on the Council." Many speakers argued that in order for the United Nations to maintain, if not augment its leadership role in the world, it requires sure financial contributions from all its members, particularly the most wealthy. The European Union said that, "we need an efficient and effective United Nations which has a stable financial base and a full commitment from all its Member States. This also means the full, prompt and unconditional payment of contributions to the UN by all. Unilateral decisions and actions to the contrary are not allowed." President Clinton said that "the United States has the responsibility to equip the UN with the resources it needs to be effective. As I think most of you know, I have strongly supported the United States meeting all its financial obligations to the United Nations, and I will continue to do so. We will do our very best to succeed this year." GA DEBATE ON INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF OLDER PEOPLE The United Nations General Assembly (GA) held a two-day plenary debate from 4-5 October as follow-up to the International Year of Older People (IYOP), which ends on 31 December. The objective of the year, whose theme is Towards a Society for All Ages, has been to promote the UN Principles for Older Persons which deal with the independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity of older persons. The world's ageing population, already growing at ever-increasing rates, is expected to grow even faster in the first half of the 21st century. The over-80 age group, which numbered only 26.7 million in 1970, grew to 66 million by 1998. In 2050, the group will swell to 370.4 million if current trends continue. The increased older population reflects advances in health care and public health policies that have allowed more people to live longer. For government officials and policy-makers, however, the increase in the number of older persons poses major challenges, with older people often requiring special attention for their health care, transportation and social needs. During the plenary debate, GA President Theo-Ben Gurirab (Namibia) described the IYOP theme as being founded on the basic idea of inclusiveness "which should inform human relations, family cohesion and social development that strengthen society." Since the year's theme was first introduced in the Secretary-General's report of 1995 (A/50/114), its core ideas have been developed so that it is now possible to suggest a model for the development of a policy framework on ageing. The model would challenge negative stereotypes of older persons and aim to present a new way of assessing ageing of individuals and populations in a more holistic way, according to the UN Secretary-General. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fr‚chette stressed that developed countries will have to address the special needs of the growing number of very old people in their populations, and to examine the appropriateness of current retirement policies and practices, income security provisions and pension schemes. Less developed countries will have to focus more on the link between ageing and development, she said, including the eradication of poverty in older populations, support to families, health care and human and institutional capacities to address the needs of older people. "Now that we have collectively realized our dream of a longer life," she said, "we must adapt to that reality." The plenary had before it the Secretary-General's report (A/54/268) on "International Year of Older Persons, 1999: Actions and Legacies." It stresses the need to move from an emphasis on the negative stereotypes of older persons to their contributions; and from responding to ageing as a problem to viewing it as a potential for wealth creation and as a catalyst of flourishing lives. The report outlines legislative initiatives that have been undertaken or reinforced and strategies to deal with ageing put in place by some member states. These include initiatives related to multigenerational relationships; the interaction between population, ageing and development; and the relation between women and ageing. The latter underscores that the majority of older women have fewer resources and opportunities, which create obstacles to their full participation in the socio-economic, cultural and political life of their countries. On behalf of the European Union (EU) Maija Perho, Minister of Social Affairs and Health of Finland, said that among the main concerns of her region is how national economies will face the challenge of increased pension costs arising from higher life expectancy. She also highlighted the issue of ageing women, and the need for policies and strategies to encourage t