Go Between 2001: no. 88 September-November
UN UPDATE
KOFI ANNAN, UN AWARDED NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
The Nobel Committee in Oslo has awarded this year’s peace prize jointly to the United Nations and the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, citing “their work for a better organized and more peaceful world.”
“The end of the Cold War has at last made it possible for the UN to perform more fully the part it was originally intended to play,” the Committee said. “Today the organization is at the forefront of efforts to achieve peace and security in the world, and of the international mobilization aimed at meeting the world’s economic, social and environmental challenges.”
“Through this first Peace Prize to the UN as such, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes in its centenary year to proclaim that the only negotiable route to global peace and cooperation goes by way of the UN,” the Committee added.
The Committee commended the Secretary-General in his efforts. “Kofi Annan has devoted almost his entire working life to the UN. As the Secretary-General, he has been pre-eminent in bringing new life to the organization. While clearly underlining the UN’s traditional responsibility for peace and security, he has also emphasized its obligations with regard to human rights. He has risen to such new challenges as HIV/AIDS and international terrorism, and brought about more efficient utilization of the UN’s modest resources. In an organization that can hardly become more than its Members permit, he has made clear that sovereignty cannot be a shield behind which Member States conceal their violations.”
Mr. Annan, born in Ghana in 1938, became the first leader to be elected from the ranks of UN staff when he was appointed UN Secretary-General in 1997. He was unanimously reappointed to a second five-year term by the 189 Member States in June 2001, six months before his first term was set to expire on 31 December 2001.
Responding to the news of the Nobel Prize, Mr. Annan said, “It’s a wonderful feeling and a great encouragement for us and the organization, for the work we have done until now. It’s a great recognition for the staff. At the same time,” he continued, “it is a great responsibility at such a difficult moment but reinforces us in pursuing the search for peace.”
Established by the Swedish philanthropist Alfred Nobel in 1901, the award, worth approximately US$946,000, will be shared in equal parts between the UN and the Secretary-General. The first Nobel Peace Prize honoured Jean Henry Dunant, the Swiss founder of the Red Cross.
Seven previous Nobel Peace Prizes have been awarded to UN officials or organizations.
--1950: Ralph Bunche, acting UN mediator in Palestine, for his mediation of the 1949 armistice between Israel and the Arab states.
--1954: The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), for its “untiring and sometimes thankless effort to bring assistance to the refugees.”
--1961: Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, awarded posthumously following his death in a plane crash on a peace mission to Congo, “in gratitude for all he did, for what he achieved, for what he fought for: to create peace and goodwill among nations and men.”
--1965: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for realizing that “the children of today make the history of the future.”
--1969: The International Labour Organization (ILO), for promoting “social justice.”
--1981: The office of the UNHCR, for the second time, for assisting a tremendous number of refugees “despite the many political difficulties with which it has to contend.”
--1988: UN peacekeeping forces, for “reducing tensions” and making “a decisive contribution toward the initiation of actual peace negotiations.”
With its headquarters in New York, the UN has 50,000 employees worldwide, six regional branches, and field offices around the world. It was founded in 1945 and now has 189 Member States.
SG BOOSTS PREPARATIONS FOR JO’BURG SUMMIT
In a move to catalyze the preparatory process leading up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has designated Jan Pronk as his Special Envoy to work with political leaders at the highest levels to discuss new approaches for reaching the goals of sustainable development made at the Earth Summit 10 years ago in Rio de Janeiro. Mr. Pronk, currently Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment for the Netherlands, has agreed to take on the task while continuing his present duties. This follows a number of regional preparatory meetings currently underway as Go Between goes to press (see pages 37-39).
Mr. Annan has also asked Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to act as Secretary-General of the WSSD, which is to be held in Johannesburg (South Africa) from 2-11 September 2002. As well, he has established a high-level Advisory Panel of distinguished experts (see Focus page).
SECURITY COUNCIL AND GA CONDEMN ATTACKS ON US
Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council on the morning of 12 September 2001, Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed “deep shock and revulsion at the cold-blooded viciousness” of the terrorist attack on the United States on 11 September. “A terrorist attack on one country is an attack on humanity as a whole. All nations of the world must work together to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he said.
Members of the Security Council departed from tradition to stand while unanimously adopting resolution 1368 (2001), declaring that any act of international terrorism was a threat to international peace and security, and stating the Council’s readiness to take all necessary steps to respond to the attacks of 11 September and to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with its UN Charter responsibilities.
The Council called on all States to work together urgently to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of the terrorist attacks. It also called on the international community to redouble its efforts to prevent and suppress terrorist acts, through increased cooperation and full implementation of the relevant international anti-terrorist conventions and Council resolutions.
Council members expressed shock and grief and offered their deepest condolences and support for the American people and government. Many agreed that the whole world, and not just one country, had been plunged into an unprecedented time of peril, fear and uncertainty.
The representative of the Ukraine, Valery P. Kuchinsky, noted that the magnitude of the events was far beyond terrorism as the world had so far known it. “With the new technologies and changed nature of the world, a handful of angry people is enough to cause havoc,” he said. He proposed that 11 September be designated an international day to combat terrorism.
The current President of the Council and the representative of France, Jean-David Levitte, said that these “monstrous acts are a challenge to the international community as a whole,” and emphasized that a global strategy was needed to deal with terrorism, “for which the Council should play a significant role.”
In the afternoon, Mr. Annan addressed the first plenary meeting of the 56th session of the General Assembly, calling on “all the nations of the world” to unite “in their solidarity with the victims of terrorism, and in their determination to take action–both against the terrorists themselves and against all those who give them any kind of shelter, assistance or encouragement.”
The Assembly then adopted its first resolution (A/RES/56/1) of the new session, Condemnation of Terrorist Attacks in the United States, condemning “the heinous acts of terrorism which have caused enormous loss of human life and destruction in the cities of New York, host city of the UN, Washington DC and elsewhere,” and urgently calling for international cooperation to bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of the “outrages.”
SECURITY COUNCIL ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURES
As the General Assembly prepared for its five-day debate on terrorism, the Security Council approved a broad anti-terrorism measure proposed by recently appointed US Ambassador John Negroponte in the wake of the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington DC.
Reaffirming the “inherent right of individual or collective self-defence” as recognized by the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the need to “combat by all means…threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts,” the Security Council adopted resolution 1373 (2001) on 28 September, invoking UN Charter Chapter VII, which makes the measure mandatory for all 189 Member States.
By the terms of the text, the Council decided that all States should prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism by freezing terrorists’ funds and making criminal the provision or collection of such funds. The resolution further calls on countries to refrain from supporting terrorist groups; to prevent would-be terrorists from using their territories to commit acts of terrorism; to create strict laws and sentences related to terrorism; and to cooperate with each other by sharing intelligence, helping in each other’s investigations and using border controls to restrict terrorists’ movements.
Before granting refugee status, the Council said, countries should make sure asylum-seekers have no connection with terrorist acts and that claims of political motivation are not recognized as grounds for refusing requests for the extradition of alleged terrorists. The resolution also highlighted the connection between terrorism and international issues such as money laundering; organized crime; illegal drugs; and the smuggling of nuclear, biological, chemical and other weapons, and emphasized the need to enhance international cooperation to ensure security.
The Council took the additional step of establishing a committee to monitor the resolution’s implementation, calling on all countries to submit a report on the subject within 90 days.
Some NGOs monitoring the work of the UN expressed concern about the resolution, highlighting in particular the lack of a concrete definition of “terrorism” in a resolution that mandates sweeping measures to combat it. “In light of the differing opinions among the international community as to what constitutes terrorism, we are extremely concerned that the open-endedness of the resolution is vulnerable to abuse,” said the International Women’s Human Rights Law Clinic. Such concerns were not allayed by Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock (UK) who responded that “for most of the time, if something looks like a terrorist and makes noise like a terrorist, it’s a terrorist–and we now know what to do about it in terms of what is set out in this resolution.”
The Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice further expressed concern that parts of the resolution could lead to justification for “independent actions by States, acting singly or in concert but outside the direction and command of the UN, against alleged perpetrators of terrorism and/or States allegedly supporting such acts; and serious curtailment of civil, political and human rights of citizens and persons, in particular of refugees, immigrants and other individuals presumed to have such status or be from targeted minority groups.”
NGOs also stressed the pertinence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in this instance. “The ultimate goal of the Court is to try the perpetrators of crimes against humanity and other international crimes. The approval of the Rome Treaty [establishing the Court] and the speed with which States are ratifying that treaty attests to the importance of substituting justice for force as a primary means to ensure peace and security.”
Contact: Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice, 33-53 Vernon Blvd. Fl.1, Long Island City NY 11101, USA, telephone +1-718/ 626 2681, fax +1-718/626 3528, e-mail <caucus@iccwomen.org>, website http://www.iccwomen.org Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) is available online at: http://www.un.org/Docs/scres/2001/res1373e.pdf
GA SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN POSTPONED
The United Nations General Assembly, in recognition of the terrorist attacks that occurred in the United States on 11 September 2001, postponed to May 2002 the Special Session on Children originally scheduled to be held in New York from 19 to 21 September 2001. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) strongly supported the postponement of the Session and said that UNICEF regretted the circumstances that had caused it (see Focus page).
WORLD FOOD DAY, FAO POSTPONES FOOD SUMMIT
“I believe it is important to recognize that hunger deserves at least the same attention as poverty when we look at global development priorities. And sadly, at the dawn of the third millennium, we are still far from ensuring that all people on the planet have enough to eat, when and where they need it,” said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Jacques Diouf to mark World Food Day held on 16 October 2001.
Established in 1979, World Food Day aims to raise people’s awareness about the problems of hunger and food insecurity with activities that heighten public understanding of global hunger, strengthen solidarity and focus attention on achieving food security for all. Captured in this year’s theme is the fact that hunger is the most critical manifestation of poverty. Eliminating hunger is the first step towards reducing poverty and ensuring food for all.
FAO said in order to make progress in the fight against hunger, governments, the private sector and the international community will need to focus their efforts in rural areas, where 70% of the poor and hungry live, and direct more investments to those regions.
As World Food Day activities took place in more than 150 countries, Mr. Diouf also announced that the World Food Summit: five years later, scheduled to take place in November 2001, would be postponed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the US. “Unfortunately the present international circumstances and the loss of so many innocent lives and the crisis that followed have led us to seek postponement of such an event,” the Director-General said. The Summit has been rescheduled for 10-13 June 2002. (See also Guest Editorial.)
HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE ON GLOBALIZATION
The UN General Assembly held its second biennial high-level dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation through partnership from 20-21 September 2001 in New York. During ministerial roundtables and informal panels that addressed the overall theme of Responding to globalization: facilitating the integration of developing countries in the world economy and generating new public and private resources to complement development efforts, governments highlighted the timeliness of the discussion as it followed in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York and the ensuing global economic slowdown.
Norman Nicholson, Director of Development Partnerships, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said the dialogue on reducing poverty and enhancing cooperation was in contrast to the events of 11 September, which constituted a rejection of the very principles of dialogue and partnership. Mr. Nicholson referred to the Global Development Alliance (GDA) and said that his country would increasingly implement its development efforts through this new development financing model that takes advantage of areas of congruence between US assistance and the private sector. He said that the GDA would leverage official development assistance (ODA) resources to mobilize the ideas, efforts, and assets of the public sector, the business sector, and NGOs.
Speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, Ambassador Bagher Asadi (Iran) said existing institutional arrangements and multilateral cooperation in the international monetary, financial and trading systems lagged far behind the process of economic and financial integration at the global level.
Ambassador Jean de Ruyt (Belgium), on behalf of the European Union, stressed the need for more innovative partnerships that paid particular attention to the least developed counties, especially in the area of trade. He added that these countries should secure their membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and be given technical support to operate effectively within it. Mr. de Ruyt said that it was vital to integrate and liberalize the telecommunications market without delay, in order to lower the cost of access to the Internet. He called for governments to cooperate on copyright, computer security, electronic trading standards, legal and tax questions and combating computer crime.
Picking up the theme of partnership, the representative of Egypt, Ambassador Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that true partnerships required a sincere and constructive engagement to correct imbalances at the national, as well as the international level. Such a partnership, he said, would overcome existing views on assigned roles in the international economic system and be more responsive to the development needs of developing countries.
Ambassador Kamalesh Sharma (India) said that the international community had to be mindful of protests in various world conferences over “skewed globalization” and a belief that globalization had not helped the common person but had benefited large corporations instead. Despite the sense of powerlessness people felt, he said it should be possible to put together a positive programme of change, so that globalization would be seen as “a tide that lifts all boats.” The international community, therefore, must ensure that globalization was supportive of the economic development objectives of all countries, as it was not a choice between globalization and isolation.
Summarizing the roundtable discussion on Generating New Public and Private Financing Resources to Complement Development Efforts, Ambassador Ion Botnaru (Moldova) said discussion revolved around the potential of the International Conference on Financing for Development (18-22 March 2002, Monterrey, Mexico) to find the means to finance the initiatives and proposals put forth by the global conferences of the 1990s. Other issues highlighted were improving the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) debt initiative, creating a more transparent and fair system to take into account the rights of debtors, recapitalizing credit institutions and taxing international currency transactions and carbon emissions.
According to Ambassador Eladio Loizaga (Paraguay) who chaired the roundtable on Enhancing the Integration of Developing Countries in the Emerging Global Information Network, the discussion centered on the opportunities associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the related challenges for developing countries, such as the lack of infrastructure, an inadequate regulatory environment, the high cost of access and lack of human resources.
Contact: Office of the President of the General Assembly, United Nations, Room C-204, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 2209, fax +1-212/963 3133, e-mail <mailto:gapresident@un.org>, website (www.un.org/ga).
US MAKES PARTIAL PAYMENT OF UN ARREARS
The United States House of Representatives voted unanimously on 24 September 2001 to speed payment of US$582 million of the back dues it owes the UN.
US debt to the UN for its share of the annual budget had reached a record US$2.33 billion as of the end of July 2001. Of that amount, US$1.8 billion is for peacekeeping missions for this and previous years, according to UN spokesperson Fred Eckhard. On 17 October 2001, the US representative to the General Assembly’s (GA) Fifth Committee (Financial) confirmed that the newly approved payment “would be in the hands of the UN” by 9 November 2001.
The US$582 million represents a large percentage of the dues that the US pledged to pay in a 1999 agreement which hinged upon UN reform and a reduction in the overall US contribution. On 23 December 2000, when the GA undertook its first major overhaul of UN financing in more than 20 years, delegates agreed to reduce US dues and media mogul Ted Turner offered a US$34 million personal donation to cover the shortfall the US cut created in the main 2001 UN budget. Under the new deal, the US share of the administrative budget will drop from 25% to 22%. The share of its peacekeeping budget will drop from 31% to nearly 27%, slightly higher than the 25% the US Congress had demanded. Japan and Russia helped seal the deal by offering to mitigate the costs that otherwise would have fallen on some developing countries.
“Meeting our financial obligations to the United Nations will help to ensure that our policy makers can keep the focus on broad policies that unite the members of the Security Council in the fight against global terrorism,” House International Relations Committee Chair Henry Hyde commented to the Chicago Tribune after passage of the legislation.
The Secretary-General said he was pleased by the decision of the US Congress to “authorize the payment in partial settlement of the dues owed to the United Nations.” He specifically thanked Ted Turner for his “remarkable role” in facilitating this payment, and saluted him for his “visionary leadership as a true global citizen.” Mr. Annan expressed the hope that all the outstanding financial issues between the US and the UN could be resolved as soon as possible, “in order to put this issue behind us once and for all.”
In other news, the US Congress confirmed John Negroponte as its new representative to the UN on 19 September. Mr. Negroponte is a 37-year career diplomat with the US Department of State, having also served as ambassador to Mexico (1989-93) and the Philippines (1993-96). From 1996-97 he was the Special Negotiator for post-1999 United States Presence in Panama. In 1997, he left the Foreign Service to join the McGraw Hill Companies as Executive Vice-President of Global Markets, a position he held until assuming his UN post. Mr. Negroponte was also a member of the US delegation to the Paris Peace Talks on Viet Nam (1968-69), after serving as a Political Officer at the US Embassy in Saigon (1964-68).
The US had been without a UN ambassador since Richard Holbrooke stepped down in January 2001. The delay was caused by congressional scrutiny of Mr. Negroponte, whom human rights groups have accused of concealing abuses during his service as Ambassador to Honduras (1981-85).
UPDATE ON WORLD ECONOMIC SURVEY
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) released an update to the World Economic and Social Survey 2001 on 10 October 2001, emphasizing that the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US will further slow a world economy already growing at its lowest rate in a decade, and hamper long-term growth. “The shock is expected to reverberate through the world economy and global financial markets in the coming months,” says the report. Military and political reactions to the attacks will “greatly amplify” existing uncertainties about the short-term global outlook and should have significant effects in the long run, it states.
Gross world product (GWP) is expected to grow at only 1.4% in 2001, compared to the previous estimate of 2.4%, with a partial recovery to 2% in 2002. International trade is expected to register “virtually no growth” in 2001, although it is estimated that it should increase by 4-5% in 2002.
A worse downturn than expected is forecasted for the US, where the attacks should cause “an absolute decline in gross domestic product (GDP) in the third and fourth quarters.” Among developed countries, the slower US economy should affect Canada the most, but Japan’s performance is expected to be weakest, with GDP likely to decline by more than 0.5% in 2001.
The most severely affected developing economies are expected to be South and East Asia, where GDP growth projections for 2001 have dropped from 4.1% to 1.7%. In Africa, GDP growth could fall from an expected 4.3% to 3.0% in 2001 and in Latin America from 3.1% to 0.8%.
Addressing the major economic impacts of the terrorist attacks, the report points to the destruction of human and physical capital, which in physical terms has already been estimated at about US$40 billion in the US, adding that if the current military campaign escalates, this amount could increase and more economies could be drawn in.
The attacks have disrupted business in general, mostly in the US, with airlines, insurance companies, travel agents and financial traders suffering the most, although the report notes that “the damage is spilling over to more and more sectors, such as manufacturing, retailing and technology.” Hundreds of companies in the US have lowered their earnings estimates by a further 10% for the third and fourth quarters of 2001.
Macro-economic policies have shifted in major economies, with more than a dozen central banks cutting interest rates. Government spending rose in the US with the approval of about US$40 billion for emergency aid and a further US$90 billion in other spending and tax reductions. Defense costs in the US could increase dramatically in the coming years, although this may boost economic growth in the short-term.
According to the report, other consequences will include a drop in international trade and reduced private investment in developing and transition economies. The attacks could have “triggered a turning point for the exchange rates between the US dollar and other major currencies,” the report states, adding that for many international investors, the attacks may have changed both the image of the US as a “safe-haven” and their underlying optimism about the US economy.
Contact: Ian Kinniburgh, Development Policy Analysis Division, DESA, Room DC2-2170, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 4838, fax +1-212/963 1061, e-mail <kinniburgh@un.org>. The update, entitled Global Economic Slowdown Aggravated by Attacks on the United States, is available through NGLS in New York, or online at (www.un.org/esa/analysis/ddpa.htm).
ILO SAYS TOURISM JOBS IN PERIL
According to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), up to 9 million workers in the global hotel and tourism industry may lose their jobs as a result of the 11 September terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The report, The Social Impact on the Hotels and Tourism Sector of Events Subsequent to 11 September 2001, was discussed at an ILO crisis meeting on the tourism and hotel industry, in Geneva on 25-26 October 2001.
Some 207 million people worldwide work in the travel and tourism sector, equivalent to about 8% of global employment. The ILO said a 10% decrease in tourism would translate into 1.1 million jobs lost in the US and 1.2 million in the European Union. Depending on travelers’ reactions to the terrorist threat in the coming months, US job losses could reach 3.8 million, the report says, adding that prior to 11 September, economic recession was already weakening travel demand.
After growth of 7.4% in 2000, the World Tourism Organization had predicted growth of 2.5–3% in 2001, but has since reduced this estimate to 1.5–2%. “To this economic environment has been added uncertainty; travellers’ instinct is now to stay close to home,” the report says.
While the short-impact will be severe, the report said the long-impact would depend on further events and whether the industry can recover quickly from the unprecedented fallout and worldwide impact of 11 September 2001. “Many companies in the sector are highly dependent on strong and regular cash flows to meet their fixed commitments,” the report said. “Some are now faced with a struggle for their very survival.”
Contact: Department of Communication, ILO, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/799 7940, fax +41-22/799 8577, e-mail <presse@ilo.org>, website (www.ilo.org).
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER MEETS NGOS
The terrorist attacks that occurred in the United States on 11 September 2001 and the ensuing counter terrorist measures are a threat to human rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson told a group of NGOs in New York on 19 September 2001. Ms. Robinson called for the meeting during her brief visit to the UN headquarters. Addressing the audience, Ms. Robinson emphasized the need to respect human rights in all measures taken to defeat terrorism.
Both the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNHCR) had widely addressed the challenge that terrorism poses to human rights, Ms. Robinson said. As examples she highlighted the Commission’s resolution on Human Rights (E/CN.4/RES/2001/37) adopted in April 2001 and the progress report, Terrorism and human rights (E/CN.4/Sub.2/2001/31, dated 27 June 2001), prepared by the UN Special Rapporteur Kalliopi K. Koufa for the Commission on Human Rights Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
According to Ms. Robinson, the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks, as well as those who planned the attacks or assisted in them in any way, are guilty of crimes against humanity. Justice, not revenge, was to be sought, she emphasized, saying that any response to the attacks needed to be a truly international one and one which follows the rule of law, adding that the framework for such a response should be created under UN auspices. She called for a greater focus on the different social and cultural values of countries and emphasized that the attacks were contrary to the values of Islam.
NGOs expressed concern over one-sided coverage of the counter-terrorist responses in the American media, and called for a greater expression of different views in the media. NGOs were also concerned about the challenge that the counter-terrorist measures, and potential increases in police and judicial powers, pose for civil liberties and human rights. NGOs told Ms. Robinson they were alarmed about a new wave of xenophobia and anti-Muslim incidents that had occurred in the US in the wake of the attacks. Ms. Robinson referred to the Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban on 9 September 2001, saying that they provided a framework for protecting human rights. The document strongly emphasizes human and cultural diversity and contains language on Islamophobia, she said.
Ms. Robinson said that although she had not been able to advocate the alternative NGO declaration adopted by the parallel NGO Forum held in Durban because of some of the language it contained, she did, however, commend certain parts of it, in particular the preambular paragraph and paragraphs relating to criminal justice and judicial systems. Ms. Robinson underlined the crucial importance of NGOs in the follow-up to the Conference.
For further information on the World Conference in Durban, see NGLS Roundup 82.
ICC PREPCOM’S 8TH SESSION
The Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court (ICC) held its eighth session from 24 September to 5 October 2001 at UN headquarters in New York. During the session, four countries–the Central African Republic, Liechtenstein, Nigeria and the United Kingdom–ratified the treaty establishing the Court, bringing the total to 42, over two-thirds of the 60 ratifications needed for the treaty to enter into force. The ICC will be a permanent court for trying individuals accused of committing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Describing the session as productive, the Commission Chair, Philippe Kirsch (Canada), said that work had moved to an advanced stage and that the Commission would focus its attention in future sessions on more practical issues relating to the establishment of the Court. The Commission currently has seven working groups (WGs). At the conclusion of the recent session, four of the working groups announced the completion of their assignments.
Phakiso Mochochoko (Lesotho), Coordinator of the Working Group on an Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the Court, said it had approved a draft agreement which represents a “major departure” from traditional privileges and immunities agreements by recognizing the important role, and facilitating the participation of, experts, witnesses, victims and other persons required to be present at the seat of the Court.
Christian Maquiera (Chile), Coordinator of the Working Group on the Relationship Agreement between the Court and the UN, said that its only unresolved question concerned how to deal with the dispute settlement provisions of article 119, paragraph 2 of the treaty, and the question of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Group decided that the matter should be referred to the Assembly of States Parties (ASP).
Saeid Mirzaee (Iran), Coordinator of the Working Group on the Rules of Procedures of the ASP, said that it had prepared a set of 96 rules to be applied to the work of the Assembly, and to the work of the review conferences. Two rules were developed to enable the UN to participate in the deliberations of the ASP.
Rolf Fife (Norway), speaking on behalf of the Coordinator of the Working Group on Financial Regulations and Rules of the Court, said that it had approved three documents, one on draft financial regulations and two draft resolutions covering the establishment of a committee on budget and finance and relevant criteria for voluntary contributions to the Court.
Three other working groups will continue their work, which includes: dealing with the definition of the crime of aggression; a first-year budget for the Court; and a relationship agreement between the Court and the host country of its headquarters (The Hague, Netherlands).
Sylvia Fernandez de Gurmendi (Argentina) Coordinator of the Working Group on Crimes of Aggression, said it had focused on a proposal that the question of individual criminal responsibility be taken up separately from the definition of aggression by the act of a State. The WG also focused on the conditions under which the Court could exercise its jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. A proposal was introduced that would reduce inaction by the Security Council to a three-month waiting period, as well as a provision making it possible for the Court itself to determine an act of aggression, and not just in the context of an advisory opinion.
Ms. de Gurmendi said there were still major differences of opinion concerning the exclusive responsibility of the Security Council to determine when an act of aggression had occurred. Among the options discussed were according the Council primary responsibility, but allowing for other bodies such as the ICJ, the General Assembly or the Court to make that determination as well. Another key issue was an assessment of whether the determination of an act of aggression by the Security Council, the ICJ or another source was binding on the Court, or left to the discretion of the Court to make a different determination. Ms. de Gurmendi said the issue would have an effect on the structure and content of a definition of the crime of aggression and on the rights of the accused.
Two new WGs were also established during the eighth session. One will deal with documents to be prepared for the ASP, including such matters as the Bureau of the Assembly, the Secretariat of the Assembly, nomination and election procedures for judges and the prosecutor, and a flow chart with a detailed timetable and agenda for initial ASP meetings. The other new working group will address remaining financial issues such as the remuneration of judges, prosecutors and registrars, and a victims’ fund.
Contact: Coalition for an International Criminal Court, 777 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/687 2176, e-mail <cicc@iccnow.org>, website (www.iccnow.org).
CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT DEADLOCKED
The Conference on Disarmament adopted its annual report on 13 September 2001 and concluded its 2001 session after hearing statements that strongly condemned the terrorist attacks carried out on 11 September 2001 against the United States.
The President of the Conference, Ambassador Roberto Betancourt Ruales (Ecuador), associated himself with the statement made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in which he said that “no just cause can be advanced by terror.”
In his closing statement the President noted that the Conference was concluding its third consecutive year of meetings without having resolved the ongoing dispute over the programme of work and, therefore, without being able to launch multilateral negotiations, or to establish subsidiary bodies. Disagreement continued on the agenda items on nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space. This stalemate was seen as a cause for concern as it could erode the Conference’s credibility as the single forum for multilateral negotiations.
Several speakers expressed their regret concerning the state of paralysis in the Conference. Among others, Belgium, on behalf of the European Union and associated countries, said that the European Union reaffirmed its faith in multilateralism and repeated that it considered that the Conference was the sole multilateral forum available to the international community for negotiations on disarmament issues. The continuing paralysis weakened the international disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
The United States said that if the Conference did not move soon to collectively grasp the work programme (CD/1624) proposed by Ambassador Celso Amorim (Brazil), the Conference would become even more irrelevant in the future than it had been in the past and the business of disarmament would shift to other venues. Institutions that did not, could not or simply would not work ended up being discarded, the US representative said.
The Amorim Proposal was drafted in August 2000 and proposes the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to deal with nuclear disarmament; the prevention of an arms race; the negotiation of a multilateral treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; and effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, among others.
Germany said that the Conference had not outlived its days and remained indispensable, but it could not afford to act as a relic of a long bygone world and must tackle the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Brazil said that the recommendation that the three Special Coordinators (on the review of the agenda, expansion of membership, and improved and effective functioning of the Conference) be reappointed at the beginning of the 2002 annual session could impact positively on the work of the Conference, but it should not divert attention from the main objective which was to find a solution for the deadlock in the Conference and to allow it to play its role in the global process of disarmament. Brazil also said that nuclear weapons posed a threat to peace–the tragic events in the US proved that–and was firmly convinced that as long as there were nuclear weapons, true international security and stability would remain elusive.
In its annual report which will be presented to the General Assembly, the Conference requested the current President and incoming President to conduct appropriate consultations during the intersessional period and to make recommendations that could help to commence early work on various agenda items, recognizing the support of the Conference for CD/1624 as a basis for further intensified consultations.
The first plenary of the 2002 session of the Conference will take place on 22 January 2002. The following countries will assume the rotating Presidency of the Conference next year: Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany and Hungary.
Contact: E. Roman-Morey, Conference on Disarmament, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 3440, fax +41-22/917 0034, website (www.unog.ch/disarm/dconf.htm).
BWC TALKS END WITHOUT AGREEMENT
Following difficult discussions and opposition from the United States to a proposed protocol to enforce the 1972 UN Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), negotiators ended a four-week session in August without reaching agreement on a plan for strengthening the Convention, according to Ambassador Tibor Toth (Hungary), Chairperson of the talks.
A dispute over whether blame for the breakdown in the nearly seven years of talks should be officially assigned to any one country blocked negotiators from adopting a final report that would have outlined future work on the treaty. Some countries agreed that the protocol had shortcomings but said it provided a structure for controlling biological weapons while allowing legitimate biotechnology business.
“Because of this issue it was impossible to agree on the whole of the report,” Mr. Toth said. Despite final attempts negotiators failed to agree whether to include in the final report all statements made by national delegations during the month-long talks. “Unfortunately we haven’t arrived at a procedural report, though we were very, very close,” Mr. Toth added.
Mr. Toth said the delegations agreed that the ad hoc group of 60 countries set up in 1994 to improve the Convention should keep talking. “It’s clearly confirmed by everyone that countries are subscribing to the mandate,” he told reporters. He added that he expects a review conference, scheduled to begin in November, to pursue efforts to create an inspection regime for the treaty. Before that meeting, the UN General Assembly is expected to adopt a resolution on the matter, Mr. Toth said.
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction was the first multilateral disarmament treaty banning the production and use of an entire category of weapons and has been ratified by 143 countries. The BWC entered into force in 1975, but the absence of any formal verification regime to monitor compliance has limited the effectiveness of the Convention.
Contact: V. Bogomolov, Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 3441, fax +41-22/917 0034, website (www.un.org/Depts/dda/WMD/WMD.htm).
MINE BAN CONVENTION ADOPTS DECLARATION
Stockpiles of anti-personnel mines held by 28 countries have been completely destroyed, and another 19 countries were in the process of destroying their stores, according to participants at the third annual meeting of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Landmine Convention). The meeting, held from 18 to 21 September 2001 in Managua (Nicaragua), was attended by representatives of over 90 States as well as representatives of UN agencies, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.
In his opening address, Francisco Xavier Aguirre Sacasa, President of the meeting and Nicaraguan Foreign Minister, said that the number of countries producing anti-personnel mines had dropped from 55 to 14, and over 27 million stockpiled mines had been destroyed in 50 States. He said that cooperation was a key factor in the success of the Convention, and stressed the role of civil society.
States Parties to the Convention adopted the Managua Declaration, which reaffirms their commitment to the total eradication of anti-personnel mines. The Declaration says that the Convention could be seen as a new international norm because of its successful record of implementation, including by States that had not acceded to the treaty.
The Declaration states that a considerable amount of land has been cleared of anti-personnel mines, casualty rates in many of the most mine-affected States have fallen, and victim assistance has improved. However, it says mines still kill, maim and threaten the lives of countless people, and that the presence of mines prevents people from reclaiming their lives and denies communities the opportunity to rebuild long after conflicts have ended. Approximately US$220 million has been allocated by donors over the past year to address the global landmine problem, in addition to the resources being allocated by mine-affected countries themselves.
Participants approved the meeting’s report as well as the President’s Action Programme, which defines practical steps to help implement the Convention. The Programme lists initiatives and proposals on victim assistance, mine clearance, stockpile destruction, and the general status and operation of the Convention. Participants at the meeting welcomed the creation of an implementation unit for the Convention within the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.
Discussions were held on various aspects of the Convention, including compliance and verification procedures, international assistance and cooperation, and States Parties’ reporting obligations. In an exchange of views, the International Committee of the Red Cross called for countries to make acts forbidden under the Convention illegal under national law. Participants also heard from mine survivors, who described programmes they had established to provide assistance to their fellow victims.
The Fourth Meeting of States Parties will be held in Geneva from 16 to 20 September 2002.
Contact: Conventional Arms Branch, Department for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations, New York NY 10017, USA, fax +1-212/963 1121, website (www.un.org/Depts/dda).
IAEA 45TH SESSION
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) closed its forty-fifth regular session by adopting a resolution that emphasizes the importance of physical protection of nuclear material in preventing its illicit use and sabotage. The forty-fifth regular session of the General Conference was held in Vienna from 17-21 September 2001 with ministers and high-level governmental representatives attending from the 132 IAEA Member States.
During the opening session, a message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was delivered by Steinar Bjornsson, Deputy-Director, UN Office at Vienna, in which Mr. Annan underlined the importance of the IAEA’s work. “The IAEA plays a key role in our collective efforts to achieve the twin goals of peace and development, and has been a catalyst for the development and transfer of peaceful nuclear technologies, as well as assisting the international community in curbing nuclear weapon proliferation.
“Making progress in the areas of nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament is more important than ever in the aftermath of last week’s [11 September] appalling terrorist attack on the United States. The States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferaton of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) agreed last year that this challenge could not be overcome by halfway measures. Indeed, they concluded that ‘the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.’ Regrettably, several important treaties aimed at nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament or nuclear reductions still await entry-into-force. It is vitally important for the world community to continue its efforts to implement the commitments already made, and to further identify the ways and means of achieving nuclear disarmament as soon as possible.”
The Secretary-General also urged the IAEA to further develop its work in developing the use of nuclear energy for sustainable development. “Coupled with your work in identifying environmentally sound sources of energy, these efforts can help transform nuclear energy into a universal force for progress and peace,” he said.
Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of IAEA, said the main challenge for the IAEA is the universal application of its safeguards and verification system, which is a cornerstone of the world’s efforts against the spread of nuclear weapons. A second related challenge is the need to support development of an effective national and international system for the physical protection of nuclear material and the prevention of illicit trafficking, in order to avoid the risk of nuclear proliferation. The third challenge is the need for accelerated and tangible progress towards nuclear disarmament.
Dr. ElBaradei, who was reappointed to a second four-year term of office during the opening session, cited important achievements in recent years that have strengthened the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technologies and, at the same time, emphasized interrelated challenges that, he said, “illustrate how much remains to be done.”
His statement focused on the IAEA’s three main functions in the international arena: as a catalyst for progress in peaceful applications of nuclear technology; as an objective authority on nuclear safety; and as the inspectorate for verifying that safeguarded nuclear materials and activities are not used for military aims. Dr. ElBaradei called for stronger cooperation in these fields and Member States agreed to reinforce the Agency’s work related to nuclear verification, safety, and technology.
On verification, participants reaffirmed their conviction that safeguards can promote greater confidence among States, and backed measures to more fully integrate and modernize the verification system. The importance of safeguards agreements and Additional Protocols which grant the agency broader verification authority for detecting possible undeclared nuclear activities and materials was also emphasized.
Concerning safety, participants adopted a resolution encouraging the agency to focus its efforts “where the need for improvement is greatest,” while underlining the importance of education and training in establishing and maintaining an adequate infrastructure for radiation protection and nuclear safety. The resolution also urges IAEA Member States to continue requesting IAEA safety services, including Integrated Safety Evaluations that help to identify needs and priorities.
With regard to technology, support was given to further strengthen the agency’s technical cooperation programme. Participants also requested the continuing formation of effective partnerships at the national, regional, and global levels to coordinate and optimize complementary activities; to promote activities supporting self-reliance and cooperative efforts of national nuclear entities; and to provide factual input to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).
The Conference also approved the Agency’s programme and budget for 2002, which establishes expenditures of US$245 million and sets a target of US$73 million for the Technical Cooperation Fund, which assists Member States in capacity building and establishing infrastructures in nuclear science and technology for productive and sustainable human development.
Contact: IAEA, PO Box 100, Wagramer Strasse 5, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/26000, fax +43-1/26007, e-mail <Official.Mail@iaea.org>, website (www.iaea.org/worldatom).
IAEA SCIENTIFIC FORUM
The time may be ripe for seizing new opportunities and setting more targeted priorities in the fight to gain funds and mobilize science and technology for the world’s poorest countries, a panel of international experts agreed at the closing session of the fourth International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Scientific Forum, which focused on nuclear technology transfer and how that transfer can promote sustainable development by matching specific technologies to meet development needs.
The two-day Scientific Forum was held on 18-19 September 2001 in Vienna (Austria), during the 45th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference, and sought to raise awareness about nuclear technology applications that may not be well known. The Forum focused on cases of technology transfer in three key areas: promotion of food security, management of water resources, and improving human health. Eminent experts and an audience that included development specialists, economists, public information specialists and policy makers provided a broad range of experience and perspectives.
“These nuclear technologies have several things in common. They have comparative advantages over other available technologies,” Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of the IAEA, said. “They have resulted in positive socio-economic impact in recipient countries. And they have been achieved through effective partnerships between the IAEA and governments, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations.”
One session highlighted the Sterile Insect Technique control method used against a variety of insect pests and vectors of disease such as the tsetse fly and the Mediterranean fruit fly. In 1997 the IAEA and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) jointly conducted a model project in Zanzibar to combat the tsetse fly. The method consists of exposing mass-reared male tsetse flies to low radiation doses that sterilize them. The sterile males, who continue to mate with fertile females, are released over an extended period of time and eventually overwhelm the wild population. The success of this project led to a decision by African Heads of State and Government to launch a Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) in Burkina Faso in October 2001.
Water resource management discussions centered on the role of isotope hydrology to enable sustainable management of water resources. Presentations on the water situations of Ethiopia and Bangladesh underlined the role of isotope applications in developing the hydrological knowledge base for management decisions. Over one billion people still lack access to safe drinking water.
The session on improving human health discussed the use of isotopes in a variety of areas such as disease diagnosis, human nutrition and cancer treatment. Isotopic methods provide sensitive measurements of biological effects and are faster than conventional methods for detecting changes in growth and body composition.
At the concluding session, Mr. ElBaradei commended the Forum’s participants for providing useful insights to the Agency’s work and said that IAEA-supported technical cooperation and research programmes are helping poor countries benefit from nuclear technologies that can accelerate progress at local levels towards the world’s goals of sustainable development.
Contact: IAEA, PO Box 100, Wagramer Strasse 5, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/26000, fax +43-1/26007, e-mail <Official.Mail@iaea.org>, website (www.iaea.org/worldatom).
UNU MEETING ON WSSD
Over 70 participants met at the United Nations University (UNU), Tokyo, 3-4 September 2001 for the International Eminent Persons Meeting on Inter-Linkages: Strategies for Bridging Problems and Solutions to Work Towards Sustainable Development in preparation for the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.
The meeting, organized by the UNU, the Japanese Ministries of the Environment and Foreign Affairs, and the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment International (GLOBE), brought together government representatives, academic and scientific communities, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and staff of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) to address the question of what policy options could best contribute to the goal of sustainable development within the context of the forthcoming Johannesburg Summit.
The meeting served to review the state of the environment based on linkages between issues; to examine the problems and challenges arising from such linkages and their policy responses; and to assess how such issues could be best addressed in the run-up to the WSSD. Three working groups focused on inter-linkages in Agenda 21, inter-linkages among MEAs, and strategies for sustainable development. They agreed that in order to succeed, the preparations for WSSD must create a balanced agenda and a package of policy proposals that can lead to serious action on the part of governments.
Looking ahead to Johannesburg, participants discussed the establishment of sustainable development goals that could be achieved within a predetermined time frame in order to provide a framework from which more specific policy options could be considered while raising public awareness of priority issues, such as access to clean water or loss of biodiversity.
There was broad support for the need to eliminate perverse subsidies, considered both harmful to the economy as well as to the environment. Removal of perverse subsidies was seen as leading to “win-win” situations such as environmental improvement and the expansion of exports from developing countries.
Views were also exchanged on the need to address the environmental consequences of poverty and the consequences of environmental degradation for the poor, as well as the empowerment of the poor as a pre-condition for sustainable solutions.
On reconciling globalization and sustainable development issues, possible steps were seen to include focusing on the various inter-linkages in policy making that relate to development and environmental issues; choosing a cautious approach to liberalization; integrating sustainable development into local government to encourage broad participation in decision making; and making existing institutions more environmentally and poverty oriented rather than dealing with environment and poverty in separate institutions.
In terms of the implementation of Agenda 21 principles, it was suggested that the WSSD recommend universal membership in all MEAs; that MEA negotiations include Major Groups and stakeholder consultations; that MEAs be used as instruments of sustainable development by integrating them fully into socio-economic development planning; and that MEA Parties fully operationalize their treaty obligations. It was also suggested that the conventions be clustered into five conventions relating to biodiversity; oceans and seas; freshwater, forests and lands; the atmosphere; and chemicals and hazardous waste.
During the concluding segment, chaired by Jan Pronk, Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (Netherlands), participants emphasized that issues for discussion at WSSD had to be relevant to both developed and developing countries. Mr. Pronk referred to the difficult political and economic climate facing the WSSD, saying that it will have to do more than simply review the results of the past ten years and recommending that it address the needs of people and make explicit policy commitments.
Contact: UNU, 53-70 Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8925, Japan, telephone +81-3/3499 2811, fax +81-3/3499 2828, e-mail <mbox@hq.unu.edu>, website (www.unu.edu) or Earth Negotiations Bulletin, e-mail <info@iisd.ca>, website (www.iisd.ca).
UNEP IGM-3
The third meeting of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Group of Ministers or their Representatives on International Environmental Governance (IGM-3) was convened in Algiers (Algeria), from 9-10 September 2001 with over 250 participants from 92 countries, including over 20 ministers, attending.
Participants considered a revised report on International Environmental Governance (IEG) by Klaus Töpfer, the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Proposals of the President of the UNEP Governing Council, David Anderson (Canada). The President’s Proposals focused on:
--improving coherence in policy making, in particular, the role and structure of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF);
--strengthening the role, authority, and financial situation of UNEP;
--improved coordination and coherence between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs); and
--enhanced coordination across the UN system, more specifically, the role of the Environmental Management Group.
In the opening plenary, Mr. Anderson said that international environmental governance was emerging as one of the principle topics for consideration at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD). He recalled progress to date in the IEG deliberations and said the results of the assessment are to be integrated into a report to the GMEF/Seventh Special Session of UNEP’s Governing Council to take place in Colombia in February 2002. The meeting is expected to adopt and possibly transmit the results from the IGM meetings to the third Preparatory Committee of the WSSD to be held in New York from 25 March to 5 April 2002.
During the meeting, participants said progress was made in identifying areas of convergence and disagreement. They requested UNEP to provide further elaboration on a number of issues and agreed on the preparation of a framework text for negotiation at IGM-4, to be held in Montreal in December. Participants also reported progress in the discussions with developing countries adding additional issues, such as capacity building, technology transfer and finance.
Participants also addressed a possible role for GMEF as a cornerstone of IEG, and enhancing cooperation across MEAs while avoiding the creation of new institutions. Unresolved issues include the precise status of the UNEP Governing Council/GMEF and proposals for its enhanced role in providing guidance to MEA secretariats, options for funding arrangements for UNEP, and delineating the relationship between the IEG agenda and sustainable development.
Contact Nick Nutall, Office of the Spokesman/Director, Communications and Public Information, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623084, fax +254-2/623692, e-mail <nick.nutall@unep.org>, website (www.unep.org) or Earth Negotiations Bulletin, e-mail <info@iisd.ca>, website (www.iisd.ca).
2ND MEETING OF THE ICCP-2
The second meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (ICCP-2) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) brought together some 350 participants from 117 countries at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi (Kenya) from 1-5 October 2001 to discuss implementation of the Protocol at the national and international levels.
The meeting was made up of two working groups and a plenary session, and delegates reaffirmed their commitment to ratifying the Protocol to ensure its entry into force by April 2002. The Cartagena Protocol was adopted by more than 130 countries on 29 January 2000 in Montreal (Canada), and seeks to protect biological diversity by providing a framework for addressing the environmental impacts of bioengineered products, referred to as living modified organisms (LMOs), that cross international borders. It establishes an advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure for ensuring that countries can make informed decisions before agreeing to import LMOs into their territory.
Working Group I (WG-I) of the meeting examined the pilot phase of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH), as established by Article 20 of the Protocol, whose mission is to facilitate the exchange of scientific, technical, environmental and legal information, as well as experience relating to LMOs.
WG-I participants emphasized that the BCH is an information sharing tool and an essential component of the Protocol, saying that it should be user-friendly, searchable and open to all governments. They requested that governments nominate national focal points responsible for approving information registered on the BCH; that governments use the BCH tool-kit to assess national capacity building needs; and urged financial assistance for developing countries and countries with economies in transition to enable them to access and use the BCH. Delegates expressed concern over the BCH pilot phase, saying if it is to be successful, all Parties must have access to hardware, software, the Internet and technical training to be able to use the system.
WG-I also discussed handling, transport, packaging and identification and called for a standardized method of identification for living modified organisms for food, feed or processing (LMOs-FFPs), and stressed thorough and exact labelling. Participants were not able to agree on language used in Article 18.2(a) on identification of LMOs-FFPs and its requirements, and requested a meeting of technical experts prior to the Protocol’s entry into force. WG-I also addressed monitoring and reporting as well as other issues for effective implementation of the Protocol.
Working Group II (WG-II) considered capacity building, a roster of experts, liability and redress, guidance to the financial mechanism, compliance, and decision-making procedures. Their final text outlines a set of recommendations, an Action Plan for building capacities for the effective implementation of the Protocol, and a possible sequence of actions. Core elements include identifying country needs, priorities, implementation mechanisms, and funding sources.
The plenary session was devoted to the Secretariat, rules of procedure, preparatory work and a draft provisional agenda for the Meeting of the Parties (MOP-1). ICCP-2 developed recommendations on ten items for discussion at MOP-1 and established priority areas for work and future action to be taken. A recommendation was made mandating the ICCP Bureau to explore convening a third ICCP meeting, possibly in conjunction with CBD’s Conference of the Parties (COP-6) in April 2002, if the 50th ratification to the Protocol is not made by 8 January 2002. So far six countries have ratified the Protocol, including Lesotho which did so during the meeting.
Contact: 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 <secretariat@biodiv.org>, website (www.biodiv.org).
CCD COP-5 DISCUSSES POVERTY, ENVIRONMENT
The Fifth Conference of the Parties (COP-5) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) met in Geneva from 1-13 October 2001. Delegates from over 150 Parties to the Convention and eight Observer States, as well as UN agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting.
COP-5’s main focus was on progress in implementation under the overall theme of poverty and the environment as it looked ahead to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), to be held in Johannesburg (South Africa) in September 2002. According to the Convention’s Executive Secretary Hama Arba Diallo, the CCD is the only international treaty based on Agenda 21 and could serve as an indicator of progress towards sustainable development.
Desertification is a major threat on all continents, severely or moderately affecting 110 countries and some 70% of the world’s agricultural drylands. Many countries face growing population pressure, increasing demand on natural resources and the continued marginalization of lower income groups. “Desertification affects the poorest of the poor by destroying the natural resources upon which their livelihoods depend, leading to hunger and the migration of millions of people,” said Mr. Diallo.
“Recent crises in Mongolia, Afghanistan, and other drought-prone countries demonstrate just how vulnerable people in dryland countries are to political and social instability. The pay-off for investing in efforts to combat desertification today will be fewer refugees and victims of conflict tomorrow,” he said. The livelihoods of more than one billion people are or will suffer as a result of desertification, and more than 135 million people are at risk of being displaced as a consequence of severe desertification.
The meeting established a Committee for the Review of Implementation of the Convention; and identified ways to improve the effectiveness of the Committee on Science and Technology.
A proposal by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) to designate land degradation as a focal area for funding will help increase the CCD’s financial base. The CCD is the only convention of the Rio conventions that does not have a funding mechanism. The final decision must be approved by the GEF Council in December 2001, and then by the GEF Assembly in October 2002.
COP-5 held two sessions of dialogue with NGOs on 5 and 9 October 2001, with the first one focusing on poverty and the environment. Participants endorsed the role and participation of civil society in combating desertification. Issues discussed included: the importance of land tenure and women’s empowerment for the implementation of the Convention; and the links between monoculture, desertification and the impact of economic production on the environment and biodiversity in developing countries.
The second dialogue centred on the involvement of civil society in implementation of the Convention. Issues discussed included: NGO integration in government efforts because of CCD activities, and the obstacles related to the legal status of NGOs and the allocation of project funds, as well as the role of civil society in decision making and measures to strengthen its participation.
COP-6 will be held in October 2003.
Contact: Rajeb Boulharouf, Secretariat, UNCCD, Haus Carstanjen, Martin-Luther-King-Strasse 8, D-53175 Bonn, Germany, telephone +49-228/815 2806, fax +49-228/815 2899, e-mail <rboulharouf@unccd.int>.
MEETING ON PIC
Delegates from over 110 countries met to prepare for the entry into force of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. The meeting, which was the eighth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-8) for an International Legally Binding Instrument for the Application of the PIC Procedure, was held from 8-12 October 2001 in Rome (Italy) with more than 260 representatives of governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in attendance.
The Rotterdam Convention seeks to reduce the risks associated with the use of hazardous chemicals, particularly in developing countries, and limits the introduction of such chemicals and pesticides into countries that cannot safely manage them. It aims to promote shared responsibility between exporting and importing countries in protecting human health and the environment.
Adopted in 1998 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Rotterdam Convention uses the PIC procedure to help governments decide whether to accept or refuse the imports of certain hazardous chemicals. Under the agreement, countries that export such chemicals will have to respect the decisions of importing parties.
Pending the entry into force of the Rotterdam Convention, governments have agreed to apply the PIC procedure on a voluntary basis. Three additional chemicals and two severely hazardous pesticide formulations have been identified as candidates for inclusion in the interim PIC procedure. The two pesticide formulations were nominated by Senegal under Article 6 of the Convention based on problems under conditions of use in their country, and are the first such formulations to be nominated during the interim PIC procedure.
Mr. David Harcharik, Deputy Director-General of FAO, underlined that “global agreements such as the Rotterdam Convention serve to provide a level of control and can help to mitigate the negative effects of globalization.” Mr. Harcharik also urged countries to work towards ratification of the Rotterdam Convention in time for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002.
The Rotterdam Convention has received 73 signatures and has thus far been ratified by 16 governments; it will enter into force 90 days after the 50th ratification. Until the Convention’s first Conference of the Parties (COP), the INC will continue to provide guidance on implementation during the interim period.
Contact: Michael Williams, Information Officer, UNEP, International Environment House, 15 chemin des Anémones, CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland, telephone +41-22/979 9242, fax +41-22/797 3464, e-mail <mwilliams@unep.ch>, website (www.pic.int).
AARHUS CONVENTION RATIFIED
The Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters came into force on 30 October 2001 after Armenia became the 16th country to ratify the treaty in August, thereby satisfying the entry-into-force conditions. Following Armenia’s action, Estonia became the 17th country to ratify the Convention. The majority of countries that have ratified the pact are Eastern European and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The European Union has also promised to hold its institutions accountable to the Convention’s rules.
The Convention, negotiated by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), aims to strengthen the environmental rights of citizens and end environmental secrecy, ensuring that governments cannot hide sensitive environmental information and cover up events like the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The Convention aims to empower citizens on environmental issues such as the location of toxic waste dumps and ensure that governments and other polluters who break the rules can be held legally accountable through the actions of citizens and NGOs.
“The Convention is not only a powerful weapon in the struggle to protect the environment, but also a tool for democracy,” said Convention Secretary Jeremy Wates. “Especially in countries which have recently introduced democratic systems, it is of crucial importance to establish principles of transparency, accountability and involvement of civil society to ensure stability and security,” he said. According to the UNECE, the Convention is “the most far-reaching instrument promoting environmental democracy under the auspices of the United Nations.” The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has suggested that the World Sustainable Summit for Development (WSSD) would be “a timely occasion to examine the relevance of the Aarhus Convention as a possible model for strengthening the application of principle 10 [of the Rio Declaration adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992] in other regions of the world.”
Principle 10 states environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making information widely available. Effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy, shall be provided.
Contact: Jeremy Wates, Secretary to the Aarhus Convention, Environment and Human Settlements Division, Office 332, UN Economic Commission for Europe, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 2384, fax +41-22/907 0107 or 917 0634, e-mail <jeremy.wates@unece.org>, website (www.unece.org).
FAO SAYS FISHERIES ARE EXHAUSTIBLE
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director General Jacques Diouf said that “countries could get more fish from the oceans if they allowed overfished stocks to recuperate, reduce wastage and manage fisheries resources better” at the opening of the Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem, held in Iceland.
The conference, jointly organized by FAO and the Government of Iceland, and co-sponsored by the Government of Norway, was held from 1-4 October 2001 and brought together over 400 delegates representing governments, NGOs and international institutions from 70 countries.
The meeting sought to establish a means by which ecosystem considerations could be included in fisheries management with a view to long-term food security and human development, as well as effective conservation and sustainable use of the ecosystem and its resources.
“The task at hand is to examine how to manage the fisheries with a view to ensuring sustainable utilization of the food available in the oceans for the benefit of present and future generations without harming the ecosystem’s capacity to support human life,” Dr. Diouf said.
Citing significant over-investment in fishing and improving technology, FAO said that the majority of all resources are fully exploited yet access to these resources remains open in far too many fisheries. “Without improving the management regimes in place there is concern that more fish stocks could become overfished,” FAO warns.
According to FAO, about 50% of the world’s marine fishery resources are fully exploited, 25% are overexploited and only 25% could support higher exploitation rates. In spite of growing concern, the trend towards overfishing observed since the early 1970s has not yet been reversed.
Global fish production increased from 19 million tonnes in 1950 to about 130 million tonnes in 2000, with 36 million tonnes produced by aquaculture. Most of the capture fisheries (estimated at 85 million tonnes) comes from the oceans. Bycatch and discards are estimated at about 20 million tonnes per year.
Some of the main problems fisheries face today– besides overfishing and overcapacity–include illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; fish trade and ecolabelling; the environmental impact of fishing; poor selectivity and discarding and the effect on the environmental state of the coastal zone.
At the same time, marine degradation has continued in the form of alteration and destruction of wetlands, mangroves and coral reefs through landfill, sedimentation, pollution from sewage and harmful chemicals, river runoff and atmospheric contamination, according to FAO.
“A focus on the entire ecosystem and not only on individual stocks is urgently needed to protect and utilize marine resources,” cautioned Serge Garcia, Director of FAO’s Fishery Resources Division. “Governments should take the problems of fisheries more seriously and industry should be more involved in the sustainable management of the sector. In addition, the instruments already at hand need to be applied to better protect fish stocks at risk.”
The conference adopted the Reykjavik Declaration, which was expected to be submitted to the 31st Session of the FAO Conference, held in Rome in November 2001. The Declaration will also provide input to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg in 2002.
The preambular section of the Declaration states that the sustainable use of marine resources contributes significantly to food security, provides for the livelihood of millions of people, and is critical to many national economies, particularly low-income food deficit countries and Small Island Developing States. It also says that most developing countries require international support and cooperation to face the challenge of incorporating ecosystem considerations into fisheries management.
The Reykjavik Declaration calls for:
--effective implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct, the International Plans of Action formulated in accordance with the Code, and the Kyoto Declaration on the Contribution of Fisheries to Food Security to continue;
--strengthened international cooperation to support developing countries in incorporating ecosystem considerations into fisheries management; and
--encouraging technology transfer where appropriate, introducing sound regulatory frameworks, examining and removing trade distortions where necessary, and promoting transparency in order to improve the enabling environment, among other things.
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 <erwin.northoff@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org). Background documents for this meeting can be found online at (ftp://ftp.fao.org/fi/document/reykjavik/default.htm).
REGULAR SESSION OF UNDP/UNFPA EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) held its second regular session from 10-14 September 2001 at UN headquarters in New York. During the meeting the Executive Board discussed financial, budgetary and administrative matters, and issues related to UNDP country cooperation frameworks. It also adopted the budget estimates for UNDP for the biennium 2002-2003 and the estimates for the biennial support budget for UNFPA for 2002-2003.
According to the UNDP Administrator Mark Malloch Brown, year 2001 marks the first modest increases in UNDP’s regular resources in over eight consecutive years. “UNDP is back,” he told the Executive Board and added that “We are coming out of the corrosive cycle of programme cuts and can look forward to a more certain future of admittedly tight, stripped down administrative costs but growing programme resources.”
The Executive Board also approved continued funding of UNDP projects for Myanmar for 2002-2004. Since 1993, UNDP has focused its project activities in Myanmar on basic human needs areas, targeting primary health care, the environment, HIV/AIDS, training and education and food security at the grass-roots level within a framework called the Human Development Initiative (HDI). In 2002-2004, UNDP will concentrate its activities in Myanmar on micro-finance, the environment, and HIV/AIDS.
During the session, UNDP announced the launch of two new Trust Funds. The aim of the Funds is to help developing countries and countries with economies in transition pursue environmentally sound policies and promote energy as an engine for development. The new Thematic Trust Fund for Environment is intended to assist countries to develop policies and institutions that would both protect the environment and reduce poverty. The Fund will be used to integrate environmental management concerns into national development frameworks, strengthen local environmental governance, and address global and regional environmental problems. The Thematic Trust Fund for Energy for Sustainable Development will help developing countries and countries with economies in transition produce and use energy in economically and environmentally sustainable ways. Its focus will be on national policy frameworks, rural energy services, clean energy technologies and new financing mechanisms to support sustainable energy.
When presenting UNFPA’s proposed biennial support budget for 2002-2003, the Executive Director of UNFPA Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said that the proposed budget increases were necessary as UNFPA was addressing many challenges. Above all, the Fund had an important role to play in the HIV/AIDS crisis, especially in terms of reproductive health, commodity security and advocacy, she said, pointing out that AIDS had to be seen as a development issue that affected every part of society. Ms. Obaid underlined the importance of supporting country-level actions that responded to each country’s needs, saying that UNFPA could have a valuable role in helping to develop national plans of action in this area. She also said that HIV was often addressed as a sexually transmitted infection, while a more effective approach might be to see it within an overall reproductive health framework that included actions on various levels to encourage positive behavioural changes.
Contact: UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/906 5000, fax +1-212/906 5364, website (www.undp.org/execbrd/index.htm) or UNFPA, 220 E. 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/297 5011, fax +1-212/557 6416, website (www.unfpa.org).
UNCTAD RELEASES WIR 2001
World foreign direct investment (FDI) flows will likely drop 40% to US$760 billion this year, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in its annual World Investment Report. The prediction does not take into account the 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States and their aftermath, UNCTAD cautioned.
The drop would be the first in 10 years and the largest in 30 years, but FDI in 2001 would still be higher than in 1998 and than the 1996-2000 average, UNCTAD said. UNCTAD attributed the projected decline to a drop in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, which account for most FDI, amid a world economic slowdown.
FDI in developed countries is expected to decrease nearly by half–from US$1.005 trillion last year to US$510 billion this year–while FDI in developing countries this year is predicted to drop 6% to US$225 billion, compared with US$240 billion last year. The drop includes lower FDI flows to both Latin America and developing countries in Asia. Nevertheless, developing countries’ share of world FDI inflows could rise to 30% in 2001.
Central and Eastern European FDI inflows are expected to remain stable at US$27 billion. At the same time, Central and Eastern European transnational corporations “are about to establish themselves as prominent players” in the global investment arena, UNCTAD says in the report.
UNCTAD reports that FDI is reaching many more countries than in the past, citing a 34-country jump in those receiving an average of more than US$1 billion yearly and a 20-country increase in countries investing more than US$1 billion. However, FDI is still unevenly distributed, UNCTAD warned, noting that 30 countries account for 95% of world FDI inflows and 30 others account for 99% of outflows.
FDI remains the main driver of the expansion of the international production system. Forging linkages between foreign affiliates and domestic firms is a main challenge for policy makers in developing countries in order to benefit from FDI as much as possible, UNCTAD says.
Contact: Division on Investment, Technology and Enterprise Development, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, fax +41-22/907 0194, e-mail <WIRteam@unctad.org>, website (www.unctad.org).
UNCTAD REPORT ON AFRICA
A dramatic increase in aid to, and trade with, Africa is needed to spur growth and halve poverty on the continent by 2015, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says in its report Economic Development in Africa: Performance, Prospects and Policy Issues. Declining aid and terms of trade, mounting debt, and ineffective adjustment policies have left sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) poorer than two decades ago.
With a projected growth rate of just over 3% for the next decade, Africa’s fortunes are unlikely to improve. This figure, marginally above population growth, is only half the 6% growth target set by the UN 10 years ago to tackle the economic and social challenges of the continent.
The report outlines the main policy measures required to reverse this situation. These include:
--Financing development through a doubling of aid flows; a bolder approach to debt relief, including a standstill on debt repayment; and an independent assessment of debt sustainability;
--Conducting a full review of all current agreements and practices in the international trading system in order to remove any impediments to growth and development in Africa and to enhance Africa’s exports; and
--Undertaking a critical review of adjustment and poverty reduction policies for raising growth and bettering income distribution.
If international targets for growth and poverty reduction are to be met, a key shift in domestic policy is also required, says the report. The new poverty alleviation focus should be founded on a careful and frank assessment of the effects of macro-economic and structural adjustment policies on growth and income distribution in the past two decades.
The policy emphasis now seems to be on redirecting public spending to health and education, according to the report. While useful, such an approach may not have a lasting impact on poverty as long as policies in such areas as agriculture, trade, finance, exchange rates, enterprise, deregulation and privatization do not succeed in increasing growth and improving income distribution.
Contact: Alessandra Vellucci, Information Officer, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/907 4641 or 917 5828, fax +41-22/907 0043, e-mail <press@unctad.org>, website (www.unctad.org).
WORLD BANK AND IMF SUPPORT MILLENNIUM GOALS
The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have announced that they will join the United Nations in supporting implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (see Go Between 80), which were agreed by 189 countries at the Millennium Summit in New York. The goals are eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating AIDS and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability, and creating a global partnership for development. The last goal includes developing a non-discriminatory trading system, addressing the special needs of land-locked developing countries and least developed countries, and making the debt of developing countries sustainable.
“The Millennium Development Goals offer concrete targets for everyone to rally around in the global fight against poverty,” said World Bank President James Wolfensohn. “Rich countries must boost foreign aid to the developing world, remove barriers to the exports of developing countries, encourage private investment, and make the benefits of science and technology available to all the world’s peoples. Developing countries, meanwhile, must put in place the right economic policies, work to improve governance, invest in their people and create an environment that is conducive to growth and development.”
IMF Managing Director Horst Köhler called the goals an affirmation of the international community’s commitment to free individuals from the “dehumanizing conditions of abject poverty.” He said that it was important that countries and institutions are held accountable for their contributions to the Millennium Development Goals process.
Contact: Phil Hay, Media Relations Officer, External Relations Department, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, USA, telephone +1-202/473 1796, fax +1-202/522 2632, e-mail <phay@worldbank.org>, website (www.worldbank.org).
Public Affairs, External Relations Department, IMF, 700 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20431, USA, telephone +1-202/623 7300, fax +1-202/623 6278, e-mail <publicaffairs@imf.org>, website (www.imf.org).
IMF RELEASES ANNUAL REPORT 2001
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released its annual report saying that it is enacting reforms while continuing to carry out its mission. The IMF report says that efforts were made during fiscal year 2001 to increase openness within the Fund by releasing more information to the public and by encouraging its members to be more open about their economic developments and policies. The report also states that lending policies and conditions were reviewed, and work on core responsibilities was refocused to give higher priority to preventing financial crises.
Managing Director Horst Köhler said the Fund’s capability for crises prevention was strengthened by further steps to increase transparency of the IMF and its members; that further progress was made in the implementation of internationally recognized standards and codes; and that the completion of a pilot phase of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP), a joint effort with the World Bank, would help in diagnosing strengths and weaknesses in member countries’ financial situations.
To help its low-income members, the IMF concentrated low-cost lending activities on implementing the enhanced strategy for poverty reduction. The World Bank-IMF Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative produced US$20 billion in debt relief for 22 poor countries as of April 2001. The external indebtedness of the 22 countries receiving debt relief will be cut by almost two-thirds in net present value terms, by US$33 billion, bringing their indebtedness to levels below the average for all developing countries, according to the IMF.
Regular and concessional lending increased in fiscal 2001 to US$12.3 billion, up from US$8.1 billion in fiscal 2000. Total IMF credit outstanding fell to US$62.7 billion from US$64.9 billion. The Fund said that for the fiscal year 2001 it devoted more attention to factors making countries vulnerable to financial crises; continued to provide technical assistance to member countries; expanded selected initiatives; and established an independent evaluation office to provide reviews and assessments of its operational work.
Contact: IMF, 700 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20431, USA, telephone +1-202/623 7000, fax +1-202/623 4661 or 623 6220, e-mail <publicaffairs@imf.org>, website (www.imf.org).
WORLD BANK DISCLOSURE POLICY
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved revision to the Bank’s policy on the disclosure of information, making changes that, according to the Bank, will bring greater transparency and accountability to the Bank’s support for the development process.
The revisions provide for the release of a greater number of project-related documents; disclosure of the Chairman’s summaries of Board discussions on Country Assistance Strategies (CASs) and Sector Strategy Papers (SSPs); and a more systematic approach to accessing Bank archives. The Executive Directors also endorsed steps that will lead over time to improving access to information through Bank offices in developing countries.
The new policy will provide more access to the Bank’s lending process, including documentation of poverty reduction support credits and implementation completion reports. In addition, more accountability documents will be released, including reviews by the Bank’s quality assurance group and the operations evaluation department, the Bank’s independent review body.
“The Bank recognizes that transparency and accountability are crucial to development effectiveness and will continue to review the provisions and implementation of its disclosure policy on a regular basis in the coming years,” said World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn.
While welcoming the revised disclosure policy, NGO groups advocating greater openness in Bank policies have described the move as insufficient in involving stakeholders. “If you want people to participate, you need to allow them to participate before decisions are made. But detailed proposals for projects that the Bank is considering funding, as well as country assistance strategies, remain secret until after decisions are already made,” said Graham Saul, of the monitoring group Bank Information Center.
The Bank says further work will investigate options for increasing translation of documents, strengthening Public Information Centers, and involving communications experts more effectively in the dissemination and outreach elements of the new policy. Learning pilots, to be carried out with interested member countries, will explore ways for the Bank and governments to provide additional information on CASs and lending operations under preparation and implementation as a basis for improved development effectiveness.
Contact: Phil Hay, Media Relations Officer, External Relations Department, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, USA, telephone +1-202/473 1796, fax +1-202/522 2632, e-mail <phay@worldbank.org>.
LATIN AMERICAN REGION INCOME REMAINS UNEQUAL
The Latin American and Caribbean region’s income distribution did not improve during the last decade, according to the tenth edition of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean’s (ECLAC) report, which assesses the evolution of poverty during the 1990s, social spending, income distribution and employment.
The Social Panorama of Latin America 2000-2001 reports that the region’s wealthiest 10% hold a share of national income 19 times higher than that held by the poorest 40% of all households, which means that the wealthiest 10% hold about 30% of national income. In Brazil, where the situation is more disparate, their share is approximately 45%.
Looking at the trends in income distribution, ECLAC says that the situation worsened in the last decade, despite stable economic growth and higher social spending. ECLAC also reports that although the total number of people living in poverty declined in the region in the 1990s, their number remains stable at 211 million in 1999, with 89 million of those living in extreme poverty.
According to the report, Brazil, Chile and Panama have made progress in combating poverty but Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela have not managed as well. The report says that there are signs of progress regarding income distribution in urban areas in Central American, which ECLAC attributes to greater economic stability, reduced demographic pressures and an increase in remittances from nationals living in other countries.
ECLAC is forecasting economic growth of only 1 to 2% this year, saying that efforts aimed at reducing poverty in the region will likely face setbacks in light of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US. Furthermore, unemployment, which has ranged up to 9% over the last decade, may remain as high as a result.
According to the report, the state of the family in Latin America is also facing serious problems. Besides poverty and unemployment, families are facing other challenges related to economic crises, domestic violence and disintegration.
Contact: ECLAC, Casilla 179-D, Santiago, Chile, telephone +56-2/210 2000, fax +56-2/208 0252, e-mail <eottone@eclac.cl>, website (www.eclac.cl) or (www.eclac.org).
CITIES: EXPERTS WARN ABOUT SOCIAL EXCLUSION
Urban planners and housing experts met with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva on 17 September 2001 during the 62nd session of the Committee on Human Settlements and warned that globalization, economic slowdown and cutbacks in social spending are contributing to growing tensions in European cities.
Participants discussed recent outbreaks of violence among young people in some British and French cities, which illustrate tension caused by social inequality and highlight the need for social cohesion in urban areas. They also called attention to the fact that without well-balanced political, economic and social environments, instability, ethnic conflict and other social problems can occur.
According to the city planners, the best way to fight exclusion is not by means of isolated action, but to prioritize social inclusion in spatial planning, housing and land administration policies. They underlined the need to empower people so that they are motivated not only at an individual level to influence the outcome of their lives, but also on a collective level to modernize their communities.
Countries in transition face issues of privatization, UNECE said, with government authorities withdrawing from the housing sector and new owner-occupiers unable to afford the upkeep of their homes. City planners recommended that social inclusion be a prominent feature in spatial planning, housing and land administration policies, referring to the ECE Strategy for sustainable quality of life in human settlements in the 21st century adopted by UNECE Housing Ministers in Geneva last year.
The ECE Strategy, based on the provisions of the Habitat Agenda and Agenda 21, emphasizes the importance of the human settlement sector for socially, economically and environmentally sound development; seeks to promote democratic governance by encouraging public participation in the decision-making process; promotes the notion that urban and rural development is an important part of a national economy; and assists spatial planning and environmental management through the establishment and modernization of land administration systems, among others.
Contact: UN Economic Commission for Europe, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 4444, fax +41-22/917 0505, e-mail <info.ece@unece.org>, website (www.unece.org).
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) held its 28th session from 24 September to 12 October 2001 in Geneva. It considered the first report from Mauritania and discussed progress reports from Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gambia, Kenya, Oman, Qatar, Paraguay, Portugal and Uzbekistan, on which it adopted conclusions and general recommendations at the end of its session.
The Committee welcomed Mauritania’s recent legislative progress regarding child protection, including the prohibition of early marriage. However, it expressed concern over the high rates of early pregnancy and increasing HIV/AIDS infections among youth. Regarding Kenya’s progress report, the Committee drew attention to the incidence of police brutality against children, and recommended that greater efforts be made to prevent all forms of torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment by the Kenyan police force.
Concerning Oman, the Committee appreciated the fact that the country had achieved most of its World Summit for Children goals, including a decrease in infant and under-five mortality, but pointed out that discrimination against females and children born out of wedlock still exists under current personal status law. The Committee expressed a similar view concerning discrimination against females and children born out of wedlock in Qatar, but did welcome the adoption of a law concerning free and compulsory education for all, and the country’s ratification of ILO Convention 182 on eliminating the worst forms of child labour. The Committee welcomed substantial changes made by Portugal in various fields of legislation, including the administration of juvenile justice and raising the minimum age of military service to the age of 18. It recommended that the State adopt legislation prohibiting corporal punishment in the family.
The Committee commended Uzbekistan for the establishment of new institutions relating to child protection, but expressed deep concern about numerous reports of ill-treatment of military personnel under the age of 18, and insufficient efforts to investigate allegations of torture. The Committee recognized Gambia’s efforts in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, and recommended that the country take effective measures to ensure that domestic law, including customary and Islamic laws, fully conforms to the provisions and principles of the Convention.
The Committee praised Paraguay for having implemented since 1997 the Adoption Act to combat trafficking in children and to strengthen adoption rules, as well as a new law introduced against domestic violence. It expressed concern over discrimination against indigenous children, and urged the country to end the practice of recruitment of children into the armed forces. The Committee welcomed Cameroon’s ratification of ILO Convention 138 on the Minimum Age for Work, and the actions undertaken by the State to ameliorate the situation of refugee children. It said it was deeply concerned over the lack of access to health care and education of imprisoned children and recommended steps be taken to deal with this situation.
The Committee cited improvements carried out by Cape Verde with respect to children’s rights and the situation of children, while expressing concern over the impact of domestic violence and sexual abuse in the family on children. The Committee called for better monitoring and recording of incidents involving children, including violence against women in the family.
Contact: S. Raadi-Azarakhchi, Secretariat, CRC, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 9252, fax +41-22/917 9022, e-mail <sraadi-azarakhchi.hchr@unog.ch> .
WORLD YOUTH FORUM
A call for the establishment of an Education and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) fund to promote North-South and South-South cooperation was one of a number of recommendations set out in the final document adopted by the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System (WYF), held in Dakar (Senegal), from 6-10 August 2001, following five days of debate and consultation between youth groups and representatives of UN agencies.
The WYF, which was hosted by the Government of Senegal, had as its central focus the empowerment of youth to participate more effectively in every aspect of society. This was the fourth forum held since 1991 and the first to be held in Africa, bringing together delegates from 85 countries.
Donald Charumbira, Secretary-General of the World Assembly of Youth and Chairperson of the Forum’s fourth session, said that one of the most important developments during the Forum was the adoption of a special annex on HIV/AIDS, which indicated the commitment and dedication of the world’s youth to tackling this major health challenge.
The Forum’s recommendations cover youth concerns in the 10 areas addressed by working groups, namely education, and information and communications technology; youth employment; health and population; hunger, poverty and debt; environment and human settlements; social integration; culture of peace; youth policy, participation and rights; girls and young women; and youth, sports and leisure-time activities. Observers from UN agencies, bodies and organizations said that the meeting’s recommendations reflected the vision of youth empowerment as seen by young people and demonstrated their desire to participate in shaping policy on youth matters.
The mandate for the World Youth Forum can be found in paragraph 125 of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1995 on the tenth anniversary of International Youth Year.
The Dakar Youth Empowerment Strategy will be conveyed to the UN General Assembly later this year.
Contact: Youth Unit, Social Integration Branch, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 2791, fax at +1-212/963 0111, e-mail <ilenko@un.org>, website (www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin).
WHO RELEASES WORLD HEALTH REPORT
One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives, according to the World Health Report 2001–Mental Health: New Understanding, New Hope, released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently some 450 million people suffer from these conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide.
Two-thirds of people with a known mental disorder never seek help from a health professional. Stigma, discrimination and neglect prevent care and treatment from reaching people with mental disorders, the report says.
“Mental illness is not a personal failure. In fact, if there is failure, it is to be found in the way we have responded to people with mental and brain disorders,” said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO Director-General. “I hope this report will dispel long-held doubts and dogma and mark the beginning of a new public health era in the field of mental health,” she added.
A lack of urgency, misinformation, and competing demands are preventing policy makers from taking stock of a situation where mental disorders figure among the leading causes of disease and disability in the world, says WHO. Depressive disorders are already the fourth leading cause of the global disease burden and are expected to rank second by 2020.
The report states that some mental disorders can be prevented, that most mental and behavioural disorders can be successfully treated, and that much of this prevention, cure and treatment is affordable. It makes 10 recommendations for action including providing treatment in primary care, educating the public, establishing national policies, programmes and legislation, and supporting more research.
According to WHO, the responsibility for action lies with governments, and the report urges them to make strategic decisions and choices in order to bring about positive change in the acceptance and treatment of mental disorders, saying that a move should be made away from large mental institutions towards community health care.
Report figures show that around 25% of countries have no mental health legislation and more than 33% of countries allocate less than 1% of their total health budgets to mental health, with another 33% spending just 1% of their budgets on mental health. In over half the countries worldwide, there is only one psychiatrist per 100,000 people, and 40% of countries have less than one hospital bed reserved for mental disorders per 10,000 people.
The poor often bear the greater burden of mental disorders, both in terms of the risk in having a mental disorder and the lack of access to treatment, the report points out. Stress, dangerous living conditions, exploitation, and poor health in general contribute to the greater vulnerability of the poor.
The report says new knowledge can have a tremendous impact on how individuals, societies and the public health community deal with mental disorders. Investment in mental health, neuroscience and social science research infrastructure worldwide will open new avenues for understanding and care of persons with mental disorders. Building research capacity in developing countries is an urgent need.
Contact: Igor Rozov, Social Change and Mental Health, WHO, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 2532, fax +41-22/791 4858, e-mail <rozovi@who.ch>, website (www.who.int).
UNAIDS RELEASES STUDIES
The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has released two new studies on HIV/AIDS. The UNAIDS Compendium on Discrimination, Stigmatization and Denial presents a set of reports using case studies from India and Uganda to explore HIV-related discrimination, stigma and denial. The Compendium was launched during the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance held from 31 August to 7 September 2001 in Durban (South Africa, see NGLS Roundup 82).
According to UNAIDS, HIV-related stigma and discrimination remain barriers to effectively fighting the HIV pandemic. The reports point out that little is known about the causes of HIV-related discrimination or how it can best be addressed. Negative responses and attitudes towards persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) are strongly linked to general knowledge levels about AIDS and HIV infection and, more specifically, to the causes of AIDS and means of HIV transmission.
In most societies, AIDS is associated with groups whose social and sexual behaviour does not meet with public approval. Therefore, the reports say, most settings in which HIV-positive people interact with other people provide a back-drop for discrimination, stigmatization and denial, and people with HIV/AIDS often encounter discrimination within the family, the community, the health care system, schools or the workplace. According to the reports, discriminatory restrictions have also been reported in relation to travel, migration, insurance and health benefits.
The situation of women and marginalized groups is particularly difficult and women often face problems of neglect, inheritance, housing or care giving following the death of a son or husband. People in marginalized groups risk facing double discrimination as the fear of HIV may reinforce already existing discrimination, the reports say. One of the most common and most difficult forms of stigmatization to address is self-stigmatization, which leads individuals to police their own behaviour to prevent their sero-positive status from becoming known to others.
The reports say that while there is evidence that information campaigns have improved the situation regarding discrimination and stigma, much remains to be done. “HIV-related stigma and discrimination remain an immense barrier to effectively fighting the most devastating epidemic humanity has ever known,” said Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS at the Durban Conference. “If HIV-related stigma and discrimination are not tackled, AIDS will blight the 21st century just as racism affected the 20th century.”
According to a second report, Young Men and HIV–Culture, Poverty and Sexual Risk, issued jointly by UNAIDS and the Panos Institute, the sexual behaviour and attitudes of men are among the strongest influences on how quickly the HIV/AIDS epidemic spreads, with young men aged between 15 and 24 playing a central role. Until now this group has been largely ignored in HIV interventions, the report says, adding that the response to HIV has mainly focused on preventing vulnerable groups from infection, with many HIV/AIDS education programmes targeted to young women. According to the report, as young men are most likely to be involved in activities associated with HIV risk, their exclusion from prevention and policy initiatives may have devastating results in the long-term.
Men are also the focus of the World AIDS Campaign in 2001. The second year of the two-year Campaign is currently under way and seeks to involve men, particularly young men, more fully in the effort against AIDS and to bring about a focus on men in national responses to the epidemic. The message of the Campaign is “I care–do you?” and it is designed to provide material for national and local organizations to create their own campaigns.
Contact: Dominique De Santis, Press Officer, UNAIDS, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 4509, fax +41-22/791 4898, e-mail <desantisd@unaids.org>, website (www.unaids.org.)
CONGRESS ON HIV/AIDS IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
The Sixth International Congress on AIDS in the Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), a biennial regional conference, was held from 5-10 October 2001 in Melbourne (Australia) and brought together high-level representatives from 33 countries and members of civil society to discuss the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the region.
Under an overall theme of “Breaking down barriers,” the conference focused on four sub-themes: treatment and care; prevention; socio-economic determinants; and gender and sexuality. The Australian Minister for Health, Michael Wooldridge, said the conference provided an opportunity to share information and make advances in strategies to fight AIDS in the region.
Addressing the conference, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Peter Piot said that Asia and the Pacific faced a time of opportunity as never before to combat AIDS. “I am convinced that Asia and the Pacific hold the key to the global future of the epidemic. We have the opportunity to take the right path. We now simply have to ensure we have the necessary will.” Outlining recent events in the global response to AIDS which has provided a wider understanding of AIDS and progress in the affordability of antiretroviral drugs, Dr. Piot pointed out that more than any other region, Asia and the Pacific has the resources and health infrastructures to gain from these breakthroughs and “make universal antiretroviral access a reality.”
Contact: UNAIDS, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, fax +41-22/791 4187, e-mail <unaids@unaids.org>, website (www.unaids.org) or (www.icaap.conf.au/default.asp).
MAP REPORTS ON HIV/AIDS IN ASIA
Status and Trends of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Asia and the Pacific reports that there is clear potential for an extensive spread of HIV infection if preventive action is too little or too late. The report, publis