NO 95 DECEMBER 2002 — JANUARY 2003 CALENDAR
| UN UPDATE | NGO AND OTHER NEWS | FOCUS |
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Speaking on 20 January before the Security Council’s ministerial meeting on terrorism, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the UN has an “indispensable role to play” in the fight against terrorism. Below are excerpts from his speech.
“The United Nations must play an
increasing role in dissuading would-be perpetrators of terror by setting
effective international norms, and issuing a clear message on the
unacceptability of acts of violence targeting civilians. “The United Nations must also do whatever it can to deny terrorists
the opportunity to commit their appalling crimes. The Security Council’s
Counter-Terrorism Committee will continue to have a key role to
play in this area, as will our common efforts to prevent the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction. “Because of its responsibility in ensuring the implementation
of international anti-terrorism conventions and standards, the Security
Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee will continue to be at
the centre of global efforts to fight terrorism. “Finally, it will be necessary to sustain broad international
cooperation by clearly articulating the work of various international,
regional, and subregional organizations in this effort. In this
regard, I would like to welcome the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s
initiative to hold a meeting with international, regional and subregional
organizations in early March of this year. I trust that this meeting
will constitute an important step towards the goal of sustained
international cooperation in counter-terrorism. I am also proposing
that counter-terrorism be a major agenda item at the meeting I will
convene with regional organizations later this year.
“We face a grave and growing threat
from international terrorism. Terrorism is a global scourge with global
effects; its methods are murder and mayhem, but its consequences affect
every aspect of the United Nations agenda—from development to
peace to human rights and the rule of law. “The United Nations has an indispensable role to play in providing
the legal and organizational framework within which the international
campaign against terrorism can unfold. But we must never lose sight
of the fact that any sacrifice of freedom or the rule of law within
States—or any generation of new tensions between States in
the name of anti-terrorism—is to hand the terrorists a victory
that no act of theirs alone could possibly bring. “Even as many are rightly praising the unity and the resolve
of the international community in this crucial struggle, important
and urgent questions are being asked about what might be called
the “collateral damage” of the war of terrorism—damage
to the presumption of innocence, to precious human rights, to the
rule of law, and to the very fabric of democratic governance. “Domestically, the danger is that in pursuit of security,
we end up sacrificing crucial liberties, thereby weakening our common
security, not strengthening it—and thereby corroding the vessel
of democratic government from within. Whether the question involves
the treatment of minorities here in the West, or the rights of migrants
and asylum seekers, or the presumption of innocence or the right
to due process under the law—vigilance must be exercised by
all thoughtful citizens to ensure that entire groups in our societies
are not tarred with one broad brush and punished for the reprehensible
behaviour of a few. “Internationally, we are seeing an increasing use of what
I call the ‘T-word’—terrorism—to demonize political
opponents, to throttle freedom of speech and the press, and to delegitimize
legitimate political grievances. We are seeing too many cases where
States living in tension with their neighbours make opportunistic
use of the fight against terrorism to threaten or justify new military
action on long-running disputes. Similarly, States fighting various
forms of unrest or insurgency are finding it tempting to abandon
the slow, difficult, but sometimes necessary processes of political
negotiation for the deceptively easy option of military action. “Just as terrorism must never be excused, so must genuine
grievances never be ignored. True, it tarnishes a cause when a few
wicked men commit murder in its name. But, it does not make it any
less urgent that the cause be addressed, the grievance heard, and
the wrong put right. Otherwise, we risk losing the contest for the
hearts and minds of much of mankind.”
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Jong Wook Lee (Republic of Korea) has
been nominated for the post of Director-General of the World Health
Organization (WHO) by the agency’s
Executive Board. The Director-General serves as WHO’s chief technical
and administrative officer and sets the policy for its international
health work. Dr. Lee has worked at the WHO for 19 years in technical, managerial
and policy positions. After heading the WHO Global Programme for
Vaccines and Immunizations and serving as a Senior Policy Advisor,
he became, in 2000, Director of the Stop TB programme.
Dr. Lee said that Africa, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, will be among
the highest priorities of the WHO under his helm. Dr. Lee’s
nomination will be submitted for approval to the 56th World Health
Assembly, scheduled to meet in Geneva from 19-28 May 2003. Dr. Lee
will succeed Gro Harlem Brundtland.
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The international community has so far
succeeded in averting a humanitarian catastrophe in Southern Africa,
but the monumental proportions of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is “unleashing
a disaster which threatens the very existence of countries,”
warned James T. Morris, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy
for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa and Stephen Lewis, the UN
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa after
a week-long UN inter-agency mission to four Southern African countries.
“While responding to the severe
food crisis in Southern Africa, an even greater disaster has been
unearthed. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is compounding the premature death
of thousands of productive people—particularly women—across
the region, and is wrecking the livelihoods of millions more while
sowing the seeds of future famines,” said Mr. Morris, who also
heads the UN World Food Programme.
“Without a radical and urgent approach, which addresses the
terrifying reality of the pandemic and how it is indelibly woven
with chronic food shortages, even worse crises will stalk vulnerable
people for generations to come. I am overwhelmed by the very real
prospect of nations of orphans,” warned Mr. Morris.
The combination of HIV/AIDS, food shortages and chronic poverty
has left more than 15 million in need of assistance across the region
(see Go Between 93). At the same
time, the pandemic is changing the nature of famine in Africa by
cutting agricultural productivity, weakening and decimating the
population and undermining people’s ability to recover from
natural and man-made shocks.
“When the body has no food to consume, the virus consumes
the body,” said Mr. Lewis. “The incredible assault of
HIV/AIDS on women in particular has no parallel in human history.
Women are the pillars of the family and community—the mothers,
the care-givers, the farmers. The pandemic is preying on them relentlessly,
threatening them in a way that the world has never yet confronted."
Following their mission to Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia,
the Envoys will present their findings to the UN and issue a report
calling for a bold approach from the entire international community.
In particular, they will advocate that current and future programmes
of every UN agency be formed by taking into consideration HIV/AIDS
and its impact on women and children.
The WFP website hosts a page providing detailed information on
Southern Africa’s crisis, including: country briefs, press
releases, photo galleries, appeal status and individual stories
from the field (www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=2).
Donations can also be made online.
In related news, US President George W. Bush, in his State of the
Union Address on 28 January, urged Congress to approve US$15 billion
in funds to fight AIDS in the hardest-hit countries in Africa and
the Caribbean over the next five years.
Mr. Bush outlined a plan that would provide anti-retroviral drugs
to two million Africans, preventing an estimated seven million new
HIV infections, and build social programmes to assist the afflicted
and the orphaned. Contact: World Food Programme, Via C.G.Viola 68, I-00148 Rome,
Italy, telephone +39-06/6513 2971, fax +39-06/6513 2840, e-mail
<wfpinfo@wfp.org>, website
(www.wfp.org). |
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| UN Launches International Year of Freshwater | |||
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International Year of Freshwater 2003, launched on 12 December 2002
at UN headquarters in New York, aims to galvanize action on the critical
water problems the world faces. The 2000 UN General Assembly resolution
proclaiming the year was initiated by the Government of Tajikistan
and supported by 148 other countries.
“Lack of access to water for drinking,
hygiene and food security inflicts enormous hardship on more than
a billion members of the human family,” UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan said in his message. “Water is likely to become a
growing source of tension and fierce competition between nations if
present trends continue, but it can also be a catalyst for cooperation.
The International Year of Freshwater can play a vital role in generating
the action needed—not only by governments but also by civil society,
communities, the business sector and individuals all over the world."
In her opening remarks at a panel discussion convened to mark the
launch, UN Deputy-Secretary-General Louise Fréchette said that the
main goals during the course of the year would be to raise awareness,
create a platform for creativity with regard to new ideas, technologies
and arrangements, and increase participation throughout all segments
and levels of society. At the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000, world leaders pledged
to halve by 2015 the proportion of people unable to reach or to
afford safe drinking water; at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development, a matching target was agreed to halve the proportion
of people lacking adequate sanitation, also by 2015. Meeting these targets will require substantial resources and coordinated
action from a wide range of actors, not only from governments, but
also from people who use water and who invest in it. The UN estimates
that approximately US$30 billion per year is spent on meeting drinking
water supply and sanitation requirements worldwide. However, an
estimated US$14-30 billion more per year will be needed to meet
the agreed targets. Currently, 63 countries are on track to reach
the target on access to water, but in sub-Saharan Africa only 58%
of the population has access to improved water sources. In the least
developed countries, no improvement in the proportion of people
with access to water was made over the last decade.
Water use grew at more than twice the rate of population during
the 20th century. A number of regions, such as the Middle East,
North Africa and South Asia are chronically water-short. Already,
four out of every ten people worldwide live in areas experiencing
water scarcity. By 2025, as much as two-thirds of the world’s
population—an estimated 5.5 billion people—may be living
in countries that face a serious shortage of water.
Globally, 69% of all water withdrawn for human use on an annual
basis is soaked up by agriculture (mostly in the form of irrigation);
industry accounts for 23% and domestic use (household, drinking
water, sanitation) accounts for approximately 8%.
—Agriculture: overpumping of groundwater by the world’s
farmers exceeds natural replenishment by at least 160 billion cubic
metres a year. Agriculture is responsible for most of the depletion
of groundwater, along with up to 70% of the pollution. Pasture and
crops take up 37% of the Earth’s land area. The International Year of Freshwater is jointly coordinated by
the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA)
and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
More information on events and activities planned for the year can
be found online
Contact: Andras Szöllösi-Nagy, Director, Division of Water Sciences,
UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris CEDEX 15, France, e-mail <wateryear2003@unesco.org>.
Manuel Dengo, Water, Natural Resources, and SIDS Branch, Division
for Sustainable Development, DESA, 2 United Nations Plaza, Room
2020, New York NY 10017, USA, e-mail <wateryear2003@un.org>,
website (www.wateryear2003.org).
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| S-G's Message to World Social Forum | |||
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The World Social Forum was held in Porto Alegre (Brazil) from 23-28 January 2003. Below is UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message, delivered by Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.
“You meet against a backdrop of
great anxiety—about the possibility of war in Iraq, about nuclear
proliferation on the Korean peninsula, about escalating violence in
the Middle East, and about the possibility of new terror attacks.
Indeed, the Security Council is currently facing one of the greatest
tests in its history and at this very moment is meeting in New York
to hear reports from United Nations arms inspectors about their progress
in Iraq. I share your anxiety about all of these crises, and want
to assure you of my determination to continue doing my utmost to address
them in accordance with the tenets of international law and the principles
set out in the United Nations Charter.
“But you have also gathered out of profound concern about
a plethora of other issues that are at the heart of the world’s
search for security, prosperity and peace. The plight of the world’s
poorest people and weakest countries; the merciless spread of AIDS;
the relentless despoliation of the environment; the unequal distribution
of globalization’s benefits; the trade barriers and subsidies
that deny developing countries a fair chance to compete in the global
economy or make it harder for some to meet their public health crises—these
phenomena and threats have an equal claim on the world’s conscience,
resources and will. Yet like you, I am worried that they will be
neglected, will fall victim to short attention spans or narrow notions
of national interest, or simply have a hard time staying in the
international spotlight when so much else is, and may be, happening
in the weeks and months ahead.
“That would be a tragedy, not least because today we are better
positioned than ever before to tackle these problems. World conferences
and summits of recent years have won from States commitments at
the highest political level to open markets to developing-country
products, speed debt relief, increase aid, protect the environment,
and place development at the centre of policy-making. Moreover,
we have more than pledges, promises and lengthy plans of action.
On the key question of economic and social development, we also
have a common framework to guide us: the Millennium Development
Goals. Ranging from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread
of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education—all by
the target date of 2015—they represent a set of simple but
powerful objectives that every man and woman in the street, from
New York to Nairobi to New Delhi, can easily support and understand.
Ambitious as they might seem, they are not just wishful thinking.
On the contrary, they are fully achievable, even in the short timescale
that has been set.
“Governments must act to push the Millennium Development Goals
forward. All the main arms of the United Nations system will come
together to do everything we can to help. But neither we, nor governments,
acting on our own, will succeed without your involvement—you,
the dynamic forces arrayed here in Porto Alegre. I see three main
ways you can contribute. “First, you can hold your governments to their promises. Progress
will be monitored through a set of reports being produced through
a collaborative effort of governments, United Nations agencies,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other partners. That offers
a platform for you to air your views, to praise governments where
they are keeping pace, or to criticize when commitment seems to
lag or priorities seem amiss. “Second, even as you hold governments to account, I would
hope that you also work in partnership with them, and also forge
alliances with each other, with United Nations agencies and, yes,
with the private sector. NGOs and businesses both have vital contributions
to make, but must move beyond reflexive, counter-productive mindsets
of mutual disdain and demonization.
“Third, you can enrich the debate on the direction of our
international system. Some of you have strong opinions about globalization.
We can all agree that many people and many countries have hardly
benefited from globalization, or not benefited at all. But the question
is not whether we want globalization; rather, it is what kind of
globalization we want. Our goal must be to make globalization an
inclusive, equitable process. Your advocacy will continue to play
a vital part in the effort to shape it so that it offers opportunities
not just for a fortunate few, but for all people, especially the
poor and vulnerable. |
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| S-G Calls for Women-Focused Strategies in Africa | |||
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In a commentary written for the New
York Times on 29 December 2002, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan drew
attention to the problem of AIDS and famine in Africa, and how it
relates to women. He called for a women-focused HIV/AIDS strategy
that would combine food assistance, education, new farming techniques,
efforts against stigma and early-warning measures for HIV and famine.
His commentary follows. “A combination of famine and AIDS is threatening the backbone
of Africa—the women who keep African societies going and whose
work makes up the economic foundation of rural communities. For
decades, we have known that the best way for Africa to thrive is
to ensure that its women have the freedom, power and knowledge to
make decisions affecting their own lives and those of their families
and communities. At the United Nations, we have always understood
that our work for development depends on building a successful partnership
with the African farmer and her husband.
“Study after study has shown that there is no effective development
strategy in which women do not play a central role. When women are
fully involved, the benefits can be seen immediately: families are
healthier; they are better fed; their income, savings and reinvestment
go up. And what is true of families is true of communities and,
eventually, of whole countries.
“But today, millions of African women are threatened by two
simultaneous catastrophes: famine and AIDS. More than 30 million
people are now at risk of starvation in Southern Africa and the
Horn of Africa. All of these predominantly agricultural societies
are also battling serious AIDS epidemics. This is no coincidence:
AIDS and famine are directly linked. “AIDS has already caused immense suffering by killing almost
2.5 million Africans this year alone. It has left 11 million African
children orphaned since the epidemic began. Now it is attacking
the capacity of these countries to resist famine by eroding those
mechanisms that enable populations to fight back—the coping
abilities provided by women.
“In famines before the AIDS crisis, women proved more resilient
than men. Their survival rate was higher, and their coping skills
were stronger. Women were the ones who found alternative foods that
could sustain their children in times of drought. Because droughts
happened once a decade or so, women who had experienced previous
droughts were able to pass on survival techniques to younger women.
Women are the ones who nurture social networks that can help spread
the burden in times of famine.
“But today, as AIDS is eroding the health of Africa’s
women, it is eroding the skills, experience and networks that keep
their families and communities going. Even before falling ill, a
woman will often have to care for a sick husband, thereby reducing
the time she can devote to planting, harvesting and marketing crops.
When her husband dies, she is often deprived of credit, distribution
networks or land rights. When she dies, the household will risk
collapsing completely, leaving children to fend for themselves.
The older ones, especially girls, will be taken out of school to
work in the home or the farm. These girls, deprived of education
and opportunities, will be even less able to protect themselves
against AIDS. “Because this crisis is different from past famines, we must
look beyond relief measures of the past. Merely shipping in food
is not enough. Our effort will have to combine food assistance and
new approaches to farming with treatment and prevention of HIV and
AIDS. It will require creating early-warning and analysis systems
that monitor both HIV infection rates and famine indicators. It
will require new agricultural techniques, appropriate to a depleted
work force. It will require a renewed effort to wipe out HIV-related
stigma and silence.
“It will require innovative, large-scale ways to care for
orphans, with specific measures that enable children in AIDS-affected
communities to stay in school. Education and prevention are still
the most powerful weapons against the spread of HIV. Above all,
this new international effort must put women at the centre of our
strategy to fight AIDS.
“Experience suggests that there is reason to hope. The recent
United Nations report shows that HIV infection rates in Uganda continue
to decline. In South Africa, infection rates for women under 20
have started to decrease. In Zambia, HIV rates show signs of dropping
among women in urban areas and younger women in rural areas. In
Ethiopia, infection levels have fallen among young women in the
centre of Addis Ababa.
“We can and must build on those successes and replicate them
elsewhere. For that, we need leadership, partnership and imagination
from the international community and African governments. If we
want to save Africa from two catastrophes, we would do well to focus
on saving Africa’s women.”
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| S-G Commemorates Morocco's G-77 Leadership | |||
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are excerpts of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message marking
the turnover of the chairmanship of the “Group of 77” developing
countries and China (G-77/China) from Venezuela to Morocco. “First, the world economy is recovering very slowly from its largest setback in a decade, and substantial risks remain, including geo-political tensions and uncertainties with possibly grave effects on the economies of all countries, especially the developing countries, and on efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Overall, the prospects today look far more troubling than they were a year ago. “Second, the optimism generated by the agreement at Doha [World Trade Organization’s 4th Ministerial Meeting, November 2001] needs to be sustained through renewed efforts to make the multilateral trade negotiations a success. These negotiations are the first in the history of GATT/WTO [General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade] to have embraced development as their principal objective. We now have a commitment to reduce trade barriers and subsidies, and to set trade rules in ways that will bring new benefits to the developing countries. At the same time, the Doha negotiations have encountered difficulties, in particular with regard to TRIPs [Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights of the WTO Agreement] and the question of developing-country access to life-saving medicines. But this should not lead to pessimism. Major trade negotiations have rarely concluded without moments of near despair, when reasonable deals seem beyond reach. Indeed, with so much at stake, we have no option but to persist. Poor countries should do their utmost to defend their interests. And rich countries must recognize that it is in their self-interest to open up trade. “Third, we continue to face the urgent need to improve the way conference follow-up is carried out within the United Nations system, and I think all the speakers have touched on this. This issue will be a major priority in the months ahead. The recently established open-ended ad hoc working group of the General Assembly will have to address an array of critical issues, including how to ensure policy coherence; how best to integrate the system’s wide-ranging efforts without duplicating them in different intergovernmental bodies; and how to monitor progress. United Nations departments, specialized agencies, programmes, funds and other entities will likewise be focusing intently on this question, as a major part of our effort to continue strengthening the Organization. Implementation will be everyone’s job. “This year’s development calendar also offers a number of important opportunities. The Economic and Social Council will examine the key question of rural development, and look as well at how it can sharpen its contribution to the implementation of what was agreed at global conferences. And in December, the World Summit on the Information Society will try to find new ways to place the great power of information technologies at the service of economic and social development. I urge you to give these events your full support. “I also encourage you to pay greater attention to emerging issues that will have a profound effect on our efforts to meet the challenges of development and globalization. One such issue is migration, which now involves hundreds of millions of people and which requires political leaders from both developing and developed countries to strengthen cooperation. The challenge is threefold: to better protect the human rights of migrants; to fairly share the burdens and responsibilities of providing assistance for refugees; and to fully realize the positive potential of international migration—for migrants, for transit and receiving countries alike.” |
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| Population Conference Adopts Plan of Action | |||
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The Fifth Asian and Pacific Population
Conference, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
was held in Bangkok (Thailand) from 11-17 December 2002. The meeting
concluded with ministers and senior officials from 35 countries adopting
a plan of action on population and poverty that calls for stepped-up
efforts and increased resources to provide reproductive health care,
combat HIV/AIDS and protect adolescents against unwanted or too-early
pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Participants also agreed that progress in addressing these and
other population issues, including gender inequality, migration,
urbanization and ageing, is closely linked to prospects for eradicating
poverty in the region, home to two-thirds of the world’s 1.2
billion people living on less than US$1 a day. Negotiations over the 22-page plan of action proved difficult due
to objections from the US delegation over language in the final
draft of the proposal that the United States said supports abortion
and under-age sex. Instead, the US supported an emphasis on abstinence,
which Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population,
Refugees and Migration Gene Dewey called “the healthiest form
of sexual behaviour for adolescents.” The chairman of the drafting
committee for the conference, Shahab Khawaja (Pakistan), said the
US was alone in objecting to the conference’s draft plan of
action. The United States’ stance was seen by some delegates as blocking
the discussion of other pressing issues. “People hoped to discuss
very practical, service-oriented things: how to develop services
to deal with sexually transmitted infections, HIV and AIDS, how
to do sex education,” one Asian delegate said. “People’s
frustration was that we’re not able to discuss what we really
want to discuss, because the US insists on renegotiating key Cairo
concepts [adopted at the 1994 International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD)]
which we are not willing to do.” The final document, the Bangkok Plan of Action, was adopted by
the Ministerial Meeting on 17 December after delegates were able
to fight off US counter proposals. Out of 34 country delegations
present, 31 voted to retain Section F (on Reproductive Rights and
Reproductive Health, which the US said led to promotion of abortion),
with the US requesting a recorded vote. For Section G, on Adolescent
Reproductive Health, 32 out of 35 countries voted for, two countries
abstained, and only the US voted no, alleging that Section G promoted
under-age sex. The Plan of Action highlights concerns and needed actions in 12
areas: population, sustainable development and poverty; international
migration; internal migration and urbanization; population ageing;
gender equality, equity and empowerment of women; reproductive rights
and reproductive health; adolescent reproductive health; HIV/AIDS;
behavioural change, communication and information communication
technology; data, research and training; partnerships; and resources. UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said development efforts
must target the poor directly in order to reach the UN Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs, see NGLS Roundup 98). “We will not
be able to reduce poverty by half unless we empower half the population
by actively confronting gender discrimination and gender-based violence.
We will not be able to cut poverty unless we expand opportunities,
choices and freedoms for all people, not just a fortunate few. And
we will not be able to have healthy, educated and productive people
to bring about economic growth if maternal and infant and child
mortality continue, if girls are denied the right to education and
if young people of working age die from HIV/AIDS,” she said.
Contact: David Lazarus, Chief, United Nations Information Services,
UNESCAP, United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok
10200, Thailand, telephone +66-2/288 18649, fax +66-2/288 10523, e-mail
<unisbkk.unescap@un.org>,
website (www.unescap.org). Contact: Kristin Hetle, Chief, Media Services Branch, UNFPA, 220
East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/297
5020, fax +1-212/557 6416, e-mail <hetle@unfpa.org>,
website (www.unfpa.org).
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| Commission on Human Rights Elects Chairperson | |||
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Meeting on 20 January, the Commission
on Human Rights elected Najat Al-Hajjaji of Libya as Chairperson for
2003 by secret ballot, along with three Vice-Chairpersons and a Rapporteur.
Ms. Al-Hajjaji was elected by a vote of 33 in favour and 3 opposed,
with 17 abstaining among the Commission’s 53 member countries.
The vote was requested by the United States; chairpersons to the Commission
are usually elected by acclamation. In an address following the ballot, Ms. Al-Hajjaji said, among
other things, that the Commission must send a message that it would
deal with human rights in all countries, and not just some of them;
that it would take into account in its activities the world’s
many different religious, cultural and historical backgrounds; and
that among its tasks was to affirm the universality, indivisibility,
and complementarity of human rights. Elected Vice-Chairpersons without a vote were Prasad Kariyawasam
(Sri Lanka), Jorge Voto-Bernales (Peru), and Mike Smith (Australia).
Chosen Rapporteur, also without a vote, was Branko Socanac (Croatia). The fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Human Rights will
take place from 17 March through 25 April 2003 in Geneva.
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| 2003 World Economic Prospects | |||
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The gradual world economic recovery that is underway is held hostage
to a number of imminent risks, and policy-makers have limited room
for manoeuvre in response, United Nations analysts warned in an
assessment of year-ahead prospects. The World Economic Situation
and Prospects 2003 says that despite the 2001 to 2002 corrections
in equities and technological investment, impediments to a decisive
return to strong world economic growth in 2003 and beyond remain. Because the United States remains the main engine of the global
economy, limits to the sustainability of the US trade deficit and
the value of the dollar pose major downside risks of global proportions.
The recent addition of a government deficit to the trade deficit
in the United States “may render the adjustment process more
complicated than anticipated previously,” the report says. An added complication comes from rising geopolitical tensions in
West Asia, which have already pushed up oil prices and dampened
business and consumer confidence. If military action were to take
place in West Asia, it “would be a further brake on global
economic growth,” the United Nations says. Most other countries continue to be afflicted by the overall weakness
in the world economy. But, in contrast, domestic demand in China
has been important not only in sustaining the country’s own
high growth during the global slowdown, but also in providing some
stimulus to exports from other countries, particularly in East Asia,
the report finds. World trade is forecast to grow by a modest (relative to expansion
in the 1990s) 6% in 2003, following less than 2% in 2002 and a decline
in 2001. In addition, low investor confidence has reduced inflows
of private capital, making 2002 the sixth consecutive year in which
developing countries made a net outward transfer of financial resources. There is some hope that financial flows to developing countries will increase if the rich countries deliver on the promises of additional aid that were made in the context of the Financing for Development Conference in March 2002, and as a result of the ongoing efforts to resolve developing countries’ debt problems. The report is less optimistic about immediate prospects for fundamental improvements in the international trading system, because several 2002 deadlines in the Doha work programme of the World Trade Organization were not met. The report calls for greater macro-economic policy coordination
among the major economies, with a varying mix of stimulatory monetary
and fiscal policy measures within countries, as a means to revive
global growth. Thus, countries with high fiscal deficits could rely
more on monetary measures, while those with constraints on interest
rates could exercise more flexibility in stimulative spending. In
either case, short-term measures to revive world economic growth
and improve prospects for achieving the Millennium Development Goals
should not undermine fiscal responsibility in the medium and long
term, the UN says. Contact: Ian Kinniburgh, Director, Development Policy Analysis Division, Room DC2-2170, United Nations, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 4838, fax +1-212/963 1061, e-mail <dpad@un.org>, website (www.un.org/esa/analysis). |
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| S-G's Report on Children and Armed Conflict | |||
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In his report on children and armed
conflict (S/2002/1299) launched in December 2002, UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan lists rebel and government forces in Burundi, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia and Somalia as conflict areas
where children are used as soldiers, in violation of international
law. In addition to the four African countries, the report lists Afghanistan
as a country where certain factions employ child soldiers. All of
the 23 parties named within these five countries are involved in situations
currently on the agenda of the Security Council. The report also highlights other conflicts not on the Council’s
agenda—including Colombia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sudan,
northern Uganda and Sri Lanka—where children are recruited
and used as combatants, as well as conflicts that have recently
ended—Angola, Kosovo, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau—where
demobilization and/or reintegration programmes for child combatants
are under way. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
estimates that some 300,000 child soldiers are carrying arms in
over 30 countries worldwide, mostly in Africa and East Asia. The Secretary-General’s report indicates that in recent years,
“impressive gains” have been made to codify international
norms and standards protecting children during conflict, including
three Security Council resolutions (1261, 1314, and 1379). Particularly important are two landmark international treaties
that entered into force in 2002. The Optional Protocol to the Convention
on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed
conflict sets an age limit of 18 years for compulsory recruitment
and direct participation in hostilities, and requires States Parties
to raise the minimum age for voluntary recruitment to at least 16
years of age. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
classifies conscription, enlistment or use in hostilities of children
below the age of 15 as a war crime in both international and internal
armed conflicts, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals and
grave acts of sexual violence. Olara A. Otunnu, Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict, said the report breaks new ground.
“For the first time in an official report to the Security Council,
those who violate standards for the protection of war-affected children
have been specifically named and listed.” “We urge the Security Council to actively monitor the countries
named on the Secretary-General’s list, and to demand progress
or suffer sanctions,” said Ms. Becker. “The Security Council
should also expand its scrutiny to include all countries where children
are being recruited or used in violation of international law.” Meeting on 14 January 2003 to discuss the report during the Security
Council’s day-long debate on children and armed conflict, Mr.
Annan said that by naming the parties that continued to recruit
or use child soldiers, the international community had demonstrated
its willingness to match words with deeds. Those who violated standards
for the protection of children could no longer do so with impunity,
he said, adding that it was essential that the list of parties be
followed by systematic monitoring and reporting on compliance by
listed parties, as well as the consideration of targeted measures
against those who continued to flout their international obligations. The Executive Director of UNICEF,
Carol Bellamy, said that the naming and shaming of parties would
help to establish a culture of accountability, one that could prevent
such abuses from occurring in the future. She urged Council members
to consider that list in all their deliberations, and to update
it regularly, expanding its scope to include parties to armed conflict
in situations not now on the Council’s agenda. She said the
list could be used not only to pressure those who violated children’s
rights, but also to support and encourage progress. Contact: Jean-Victor Nkolo, Communications
Officer, Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict, telephone +1-212/963 9879, fax
+1-212/963 0807, e-mail <nkolo@un.org>,
website (www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict). |
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An open meeting of the UN Security Council
was held on 10 December 2002, International Human Rights Day, to consider
how to strengthen the protection of civilians in armed conflict. “There exists an unambiguous linkage between improving the
security of the individual person and securing and sustaining peace
and preventing violent conflict,” UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan said, introducing his third report on the issue (S/2002/1300)
to the Council. “The protection of civilians does not stop
with a ceasefire, but must continue in the immediate post-conflict
phase. Ensuring that they receive the needed humanitarian assistance,
ending and reversing forced displacement, tackling the scourge of
landmines and small arms, and beginning the processes of justice
and reconciliation…are the building blocks for peace and recovery.” According to the Secretary-General’s report, civilians, rather
than combatants, continue to be the main casualties of current conflicts,
with women and children constituting an unprecedented number of
the victims. More than 2.5 million people were killed and over 31
million were displaced in the last decade. Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
and Emergency Relief Coordinator for the UN, emphasized three significant
new challenges to the international community identified in the
report: gender-based violence in humanitarian crisis and conflict
situations; the harmful consequences of the commercial exploitation
of conflicts; and the escalating threat of global terrorism. Mr.
Oshima also reiterated the need for safe and unimpeded access to
vulnerable populations, the importance of separating civilians from
armed elements in camps for displaced persons, and the centrality
of promoting respect for the rule of law in conflict areas. Mr. Oshima said that the UN was undertaking three core tasks toward
establishing a ‘culture of protection.’ “To advocate
and educate we are conducting regional workshops on the protection
of civilians in armed conflict, developing training materials and
modules, and setting up collaborative planning mechanisms to mainstream
the protection of civilians in the daily work of the UN. To implement,
we are systematically drawing up plans of action with our partners
and working alongside Member States to put new energy, political
will and resources into this ongoing commitment.” Vidar Helgesen, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway,
announced that his country was establishing a support group of Member
States, which aims to develop momentum and focus by creating a forum
to promote conceptual, technical, financial and political support
to the protection of civilians in armed conflict. At a political
level the support group will serve as a forum for information exchange
between Member States and the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Many speakers also emphasized the important role of NGOs in humanitarian
action during conflict. Angelo Gnaedinger, Director General of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
said that while the effectiveness of humanitarian action could be
improved, it could never take the place of political action. The
entire international community—not only parties to conflicts—must
enforce humanitarian law, he said, through both punitive and preventive
measures. He stressed that respect for such law must also be built
during peacetime, through teaching in schools and training in military
institutions. Contact: OCHA, Two UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone
+1-212/963 1234, fax +1-212/963 1312, e-mail < ochany@un.org>,
website (www.reliefweb.int/ocha_ol/civilians).
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| Year in Review: UN Peace Operations 2002 | |||
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According to a report published by the
UN Department for Public Information (DPI),
entitled Year in Review: UN Peace Operations 2002, UN peace operations
around the globe yielded major dividends for a number of countries
last year. Among the highlights of 2002 are the independence of East Timor,
renamed Timor-Leste, following UN stewardship under a Transitional
Administration, and the progressive restoration of peace and security
in Sierra Leone with UN support for the disarmament and demobilization
of former combatants, leading to the dissolution of the armed rebel
movement, and for the conduct of national elections. Other accomplishments include the establishment of the Interim
Authority and the Transitional Administration in Afghanistan, in
line with the Bonn Agreement that the UN helped broker, and the
successful completion of the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina(UNMIBH). In all, the UN maintained 15 peacekeeping operations and 13 political
and peace-building missions in 2002. The operations ranged in strength
from a handful of international and local staff, to thousands of
military, police and civilian peacekeepers. According to the report, as many as 90 UN Member States contributed
uniformed personnel to these operations, which, as of November 2002,
saw some 44,000 military personnel and civilian police deployed
in peacekeeping operations around the world. Working with these
uniformed personnel were some 3,661 international and 7,962 local
civilian staff. In the course of the year, 52 civilian and military personnel lost
their lives while engaged in UN peace operations. The report is
available online (www.un.org/Depts/dpko/yir/english).
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| ESCAP Predicts Sustained Regional Growth | |||
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According to a recent publication by
the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific (ESCAP), Asian economies
are expected to continue growing in 2003, with intra-regional trade
and domestic factors behind the positive trend. And, economic growth
during 2002 was generally stronger than in 2001. Commenting on the conclusions of ESCAP’s Bulletin on Asia-Pacific
Perspectives 2002-03, ESCAP
Executive Secretary Kim Hak-su said, “There is room for optimism
amidst the current gloom. The challenges facing ESCAP developing
countries are to maintain the momentum of structural reform, commitment
to trade liberalization and take measures to enhance productivity
and competitiveness. They must also be alive to the looming danger
of deflation.” The Bulletin, composed of nine different articles, provides an
assessment of recent developments in the global economy and their
impact and implication for various economies or groups of economies
within the ESCAP region. The
different articles also shed some light on pressing issues and feasible
options available to governments. Such issues include social protection,
unemployment and policy responses to the 1997-1998 crisis, good
governance, empowering women through self-help microcredit programmes,
competition policy, regional financial cooperation, and export diversification.
The Bulletin complements ESCAP’s annual Economic and Social
Survey of Asia and the Pacific, which will be released in April
2003. The Bulletin finds that China and South Korea will lead the region’s
growth list for 2002, expanding by 7.6% and 6% respectively. Hong
Kong’s economy, meanwhile, is expected to continue its recovery
at an even faster pace, growing 3.9% in 2003 compared to the growth
rate of 1.7% in 2002. However, the Bulletin warns that the region could face some risks
and challenges in the future: “But, with the threat of war
looming in Iraq and few signs of durable recovery in the global
economy, 2003 is likely to pose challenges for the developing ESCAP
economies in sustaining their present momentum of growth.” “In the short-term, prolonged military action in Iraq may
lead to disruptions in the energy and financial markets; there is
also the ever-present danger of major terrorist outrages within
or outside the region,” said ESCAP expert Raj Kumar. “Also
in the short-term, expect faltering momentum of growth in the United
States and European Union—despite recent interest rate cuts—and
the anaemic Japanese economy.” Contact: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP), The United Nations Building, Rajadamnern
Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand, telephone +66-2/288 1234, fax
+66-2/288 1000, website (www.unescap.org/drpad/publication/bulletin%202002/index02.htm).
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Recognizing the specific challenges
of development faced by small island developing States (SIDS) and
taking into account the emphasis given to SIDS in the Plan of Implementation
of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the UN General
Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for an international meeting
in 2004 on SIDS. The meeting, which will include a high-level segment,
will undertake a full and comprehensive review of the implementation
of the Plan of Action (POA), which was adopted at the Global Conference
on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States ten
years ago in Barbados. During the General Assembly debate on SIDS held in December 2002,
Anwarul Chowdhury, High Representative for the Least Developed Countries,
Land-locked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
(OHRLLS) called for the 10-year review to agree to, and not merely
take stock of, specific measures to assist SIDS. He said the preparatory
process for the review should be organized so that it attained practical
and operational outcomes that could be effectively followed up at
the global, regional, sub-regional and national levels. He said
that the UN had long recognized the specific problems of SIDS, such
as vulnerability to natural disasters, climate change and sea-level
rise. He highlighted other adverse factors including narrow resource
bases, small domestic markets, high-energy costs, infrastructure,
transport, as well as low and irregular international traffic volumes,
saying they all imposed constraints on the socio-economic development
efforts of SIDS. Unless urgent action was taken to grant them greater
market access, increased official development assistance (ODA),
debt relief and capacity building, he said, SIDS were at risk of
remaining marginalized. The General Assembly resolution states that the review meeting,
which Mauritius has offered to host, should seek a renewed political
commitment by all countries and should focus itself on practical
and pragmatic actions for the further implementation of the POA,
which would include mobilization of resources and assistance for
small island developing States. The resolution goes on to call for regional preparatory meetings
of small island developing States in African, Caribbean and Pacific
regions. Additionally, the GA decided to convene an interregional
preparatory meeting for all SIDS to undertake a review of the POA
at the national, sub-regional and regional levels. The 11th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development,
which is meeting from 28 April - 9 May 2003, will consider its role
in the preparatory process for the review. Similarly, various parts
of the UN Secretariat, including OHRLLS and the Department of Economic
and Social Affairs (DESA)
are beginning consultations on their respective roles in the process. Contact: Sandagdorj Erdenebileg, First Officer, Office of the
High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked
Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS),
Room UH-800, United Nations, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963
7703, fax +1-212/963 0419, e-mail <
ohrlls-unhq@un.org>, website (www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls).
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The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) has published a report on
the environmental situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The report, based on a review of available studies and interviews
with officials and experts, addresses the area’s long-term environmental
challenges parallel to the damage created by ongoing conflict. The report, Desk Study on the Environment in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, outlines the state of the environment and identifies
major areas of environmental damage requiring urgent attention.
Factors under consideration in the study were scarcity of land and
water resources, rapid population growth in an already densely populated
area, the long-term situation of refugees, climate change, desertification
and land degradation, among others. The eight-member Desk Study team included in-house experts as well
as experts from UNEP’s collaborating
centres and other international environmental institutes. The team,
chaired by former Finnish Minister of Environment and Development
Cooperation Pekka Haavisto, was able to visit several sites, ranging
from solid waste dumps and wastewater treatment plants, to rangeland
rehabilitation projects and sites where there has been conflict-caused
damage to the environmental infrastructure. Their report covers
water quantity, water/soil quality; wastewater; solid waste, hazardous
waste; environmental administration; land use and biodiversity. The study finds conflict-related issues to include land clearing,
obstacles such as curfews and closures to the transport of waste,
difficulties in obtaining spare parts for environmental facilities
and collateral damage to environmental infrastructure caused by
military action. UNEP says the longer-term environmental degradation
is evident in the pollution of groundwater resources, the lack of
proper waste management, and shortcomings in environmental administration
and legislation. The report makes 136 long-, medium- and short-term recommendations
on issues including transboundary and international cooperation;
cooperation with NGOs; land-use planning; freshwater management;
wastewater management; solid waste; and conservation and biodiversity. UNEP recommends intensified participation of the Palestinian Authority
not only in all regional environmental cooperation, but also in
all relevant multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). UNEP
urges the international community to do its utmost to give the Palestinian
Authority full access to these processes, saying a first step would
be to remove all administrative obstacles. UNEP says Israel’s role as a valuable partner in any regional
and international cooperation should be recognized. The agency also
calls for an increased level of cooperation between Israel and Palestine,
saying the model of the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee
(JWC), which continued to meet throughout the conflict, should be
extended to other joint environmental bodies. UNEP also stated that
many long-term environmental solutions cannot become reality without
a peace process for the region. The 188-page document was presented to environment ministers attending
UNEP’s 22nd Governing Council, held from 3-7 February in Nairobi
(Kenya), and can be found online(www.unep.org/GoverningBodies/GC22/Information_documents.asp). Contact: Eric Falt, Director of UNEP’s Division of Communications
and Public Information, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone
+254-2/623292, fax +254-2/624489, e-mail <eric.falt@unep.org>,
website (www.unep.org).
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According to the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), two decades of
warfare in Afghanistan have degraded the environment to the extent
that it now presents a major stumbling block for the country’s
reconstruction efforts. Three to four years of drought have compounded
a state of widespread and serious resource degradation: lowered water
tables, dried up wetlands, denuded forests, eroded land and depleted
wildlife populations. With two million returning refugees in 2002
and a further 1.5 million expected this year, pressure on Afghanistan’s
natural resources and environmental services is set to increase even
further. The Afghanistan Post-Conflict Environment Assessment Report, produced
in cooperation with the Afghanistan Transitional Authority, was
carried out by 20 Afghan and international scientists and experts,
and examined 38 urban sites in four cities and 35 rural locations. UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer, speaking of the assessment,
said, “Over 80% of Afghan people live in rural areas, yet they
have seen many of their basic resources—water for irrigation,
trees for food and fuel—lost in just a generation. In urban
areas the most basic necessity for human wellbeing—safe water—may
be reaching as few as12% of the people.” The report stresses
that environmental restoration must play a major part in Afghanistan’s
reconstruction efforts. Disposal of solid waste is one of the country’s most urgent
problems. The assessment team found no dumpsites were taking measures
to prevent groundwater contamination or toxic air pollution from
burning plastic wastes. Tests of drinking water in urban areas revealed
high concentrations of bacterial contaminants, Coliforms and E.
coli, from contamination by sewage. The assessment found that Kabul’s water supply system, damaged
during the conflict and lacking routine maintenance, is losing as
much as 60% of its supply through leaks and illegal use. In Herat
only 10% of the 150 public taps were found to work. UNEP says satellite imagery reveals that conifer forests in the
provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan have been reduced by
over a half since 1978. The assessment also documented the loss
of pistachio woodlands in the north. In the Badghis and Takhar provinces,
almost no trees could be detected in 2002 by satellite instruments,
compared to 55% and 37% land cover respectively in 1977. UNEP attributes the deforestation to the breakdown of a community
forest warden scheme and the stockpiling of fuel wood during uncertain
political conditions. According to interviews with local residents,
military forces cut trees to reduce hiding and ambush opportunities
for opposing forces. The assessment report contains 163 recommendations, ranging from
environmental legislation and enforcement, to industry and trade,
to participation in international environmental agreements, and
is available online (http://postconflict.unep.ch). Contact: Eric Falt, Director of UNEP’s Division of Communications
and Public Information, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone
+254-2/623292, fax +254-2/624489, e-mail <eric.falt@unep.org>,
website (www.unep.org).
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A team of experts, fielded by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
has investigated 15 sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina targeted with
weapons containing depleted uranium (DU) during the mid-1990s. Using
highly sensitive instruments to measure surface radioactivity at 14
sites, the UNEP team was able to detect the presence of radioactive
hot spots and pieces of DU weapons at three sites—the Hadzici
tank repair facility, the Hadzici ammunition storage area and the
Han Pijesak barracks. In addition to the 14 sites that were examined,
the team could not enter one site because of safety concerns over
nearby mines. “Following a request by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, UNEP is carrying out this scientific assessment,”
said UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer. “Seven years after
the conflict, DU still remains an environmental concern and, therefore,
it is vital that we have the scientific facts, based upon which
we can give clear recommendations how to minimize any risk.” “We are concerned about the situation at the Hadzici tank
repair facility and the Han Pijesak barracks,” said Pekka Haavisto,
Chairman of UNEP DU projects. “The
UNEP team detected DU-related materials and DU dust inside buildings
that are currently used by local businesses or, in the case of Han
Pijesak, by troops as storage facilities,” Mr. Haavisto said. A medical sub-team composed of experts from the World Health Organization
(WHO) and the US Army Center visited
three hospitals and examined medical data and statistics in the
Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation and in the Republika Srpska. In
parallel to the medical sub-team, an expert from the International
Atomic Energy Agencey (IAEA)
assessed the overall situation of radioactive sources in Bosnia
and Herzegovina, including regulations on handling, radioactive
sources in use, and storage of radioactive wastes. The final results will be published in a UNEP report in March 2003. Contact: Michael Williams, Information Officer, UNEP, International
Environment House, 15 chemin des Anémones, CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva),
Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 8242, fax +41-22/797 3464, e-mail
<michael.williams@unep.ch>,
website (http://postconflict.unep.ch).
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The UN Economic Commission for Europe’s
(UNECE) Working Group on Pollutant
Release and Transfer Registers, meeting in November 2002, continued
work on drafting a protocol to the UNECE Convention on Access to Information,
Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental
Matters (the Aarhus Convention) that will make it easier for the public
to find information about pollution and its sources through a mandatory
system of reporting by companies. Under the protocol, countries are obliged to set up national pollution
inventories known as pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs).
These inventories will require polluting companies to provide information
on releases of certain polluting substances, such as greenhouse
gases, dioxins and heavy metals, which will be posted to a national
register accessible and searchable through the Internet. During the November 2002 meeting, hosted by the
UNECE and which was continued from 27-30 January 2003, negotiators
agreed upon the main features of the PRTR system, effectively establishing
internationally recognized minimum standards for PRTRs. These include
lists of specific pollutants and polluting activities, and assurance
of public access to data on the register. The protocol will initially
focus on information on pollution from large industrial facilities,
but negotiators have opened the door to extending the registers
to include more diffuse sources, such as pollution from traffic
to air and pollution from agriculture to water. The instrument will
also encourage the establishment of links to other types of information,
including on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), radioactive
substances, pollutants in products and elements of resource use
such as energy and water consumption. The protocol will be open to all countries, including those that
are not already Parties to the Aarhus Convention and those that
are not members of the UNECE.
During its negotiations in November 2002, the Working Group decided
to accommodate the different types of existing PRTRs, thereby allowing
as many countries as possible to become Parties to the protocol,
and to be bound by its provisions. According to Jeremy Wates, Secretary
to the Aarhus Convention, this action came at the expense of the
goal of having a single, highly harmonized worldwide PRTR system
which would result in greater comparability of the data collected.
Negotiators considered it more important to recognize differences
in the approaches, however, notably between North America and Europe,
and to accommodate both approaches to ensure broader participation. Negotiators are under pressure to finalize the protocol swiftly,
as it is expected to be ready for adoption by
UNECE Environment Ministers when they meet at the fifth “Environment
for Europe” Conference in Kiev (Ukraine) in May 2003. Contact: Jeremy Wates, Secretary to the Aarhus Convention, UNECE
Environment and Human Settlements Division, Palais des Nations,
Office 332, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, tel +41-22/917 2384,
fax +41-22/907 0107, e-mail <jeremy.wates@unece.org>,
website (www.unece.org/env/pp).
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A two-week conference of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES)
ended by adopting decisions that promote wildlife conservation through
various strategies involving strict protection, trade regulation and
sustainable use. The 12th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention (COP-12), held from 4-15 November, was attended
by some 1,200 participants from 141 governments as well as numerous
observer organizations. Building on an earlier consensus amongst most African elephant
range States, CITES agreed on a stringent regime for controlling
any eventual trade in ivory stockpiles. It conditionally accepted
proposals from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa that they be allowed
to make one-off sales of 20, 10 and 30 tonnes, respectively, of
ivory. The ivory is held in existing legal stocks that have been
collected from elephants that have died of natural causes or as
a result of government-regulated problem-animal control. The agreement requires any future one-off sales to be supervised
through a strict control system. The sales cannot occur before May
2004 to provide time for baseline data to be gathered on population
and poaching levels and for the CITES
Secretariat to confirm whether any potential importing countries
can effectively regulate their domestic ivory markets and are thus
eligible for importing the ivory. The aim of these controls is to
prevent any illegal ivory from entering into legal markets and to
discourage an upsurge in poaching. COP-12 also saw a number of species added to CITES’s Appendix
II, which lists species that are not necessarily threatened with
extinction at the present, but that may become so unless trade is
closely controlled, including: —Mahogany—the listing requires each of the mahogany
range States to ensure that all exports are sustainable and covered
by CITES export permits (see article on page 22). Contact: Michael Williams, Information Officer, UNEP, International
Environment House, 15 chemin des Anémones, CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva),
Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 8242, fax +41-22/797 3464, e-mail
<michael.williams@unep.ch>,
website (www.cites.org).
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sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Basel
Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal, held from 9-14 December 2002 in Geneva,
was attended by 400 officials representing more than 90 Parties, seven
observer States, four UN bodies and agencies, and over 30 intergovernmental,
non-governmental and other organizations. COP-6 considered and adopted decisions on a range of issues including
technical guidelines on the environmentally sound management of
biomedical and healthcare wastes, plastic wastes, waste lead-acid
batteries, and the dismantling of ships; implementation of the Basel
Convention; amendment of the Convention and its annexes; and institutional,
financial and procedural arrangements. COP-6 also set the budget
for 2003-2005, agreed on a compliance mechanism, adopted a Strategic
Plan, and finalized the Framework Agreement on the legal establishment
of the Regional Centers for Training and Technology Transfer. On 11 December, Basel Convention Executive Secretary Sachiko Kuwabara-Yamamoto
introduced a draft decision on partnerships with environmental NGOs,
industry and business (UNEP/CHW.6/32) and another on elements for
a framework for cooperation with industry (UNEP/CHW.6/32/Add.1).
The European Union (EU), supported by Canada, proposed merging the
two draft decisions, and delegates adopted a single, revised text
on 13 December. A draft decision introduced by Switzerland on a partnership initiative
on the environmentally sound management of end-of-life mobile phones
was also adopted. The initiative involves the Basel Convention,
the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP),
the Government of Switzerland, and many mobile phone manufacturers,
including LJ, Matsushita (Panasonic), Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola,
NEC, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Siemens and Sony Ericsson. “The Information Age has brought extraordinary benefits to
humankind. I am very pleased that manufacturers of the mobile phone—a
young consumer good—are reinforcing their integrated product
policies by focusing already on their product’s environmental
aspects,” said Philippe Roch, State Secretary for Switzerland.
“Tackling the environmental implications of mobile phones through
this initiative will provide a good example of cooperation between
economic sectors and multilateral environmental agreements,”
he added. “This cooperation with the mobile phone sector is the first
concrete initiative to be developed between governments and companies
within the framework of the Basel Convention,” said Klaus Töpfer,
Executive Director of UNEP, under whose auspices the Basel Convention
was adopted. “Modern society must face up to the problem that we produce
too much waste. Companies are clearly an essential part of the solution,
and this initial expression of willingness by leading mobile phone
manufacturers should serve as a model and an inspiration for other
business sectors,” Mr. Töpfer said. The estimated global market
volume for mobile phones in 2001 was around 380 million units, and
the Basel Convention says that in order to be successful, the initiative
will require the support of other stakeholders, particularly network
providers. Other partnerships announced during COP-6 include initiatives in
Africa on used oils, used lead-acid battery recycling in Latin America
and the Caribbean, and the environmentally sound management of waste
in urban areas in South Africa. Contact: Michael Williams, Information Officer, UNEP, International Environment House, 15 chemin des Anémones, CH-1219 Châtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 8242, fax +41-22/797 3464, e-mail <michael.williams@unep.ch>, website (www.basel.int). |
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The Eighth Meeting of the Conference
of the Contracting Parties (COP-8) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
was held from 18-26 November 2002 in Valencia (Spain). Working under
the theme of “Wetlands: Water, Life, and Culture,” the conference
was attended by over 1,000 officials representing 119 Contracting
Parties, as well as a number of observer States, UN agencies and intergovernmental
and non-governmental organizations. Participants convened in plenary sessions, regional and contact
groups, and several committees. They also met in five technical
sessions which focused on major challenges and emerging opportunities
for wetlands, water and sustainability; wetland inventory and assessment;
the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance; management
of wetlands for sustainable use and human wellbeing; and cultural
aspects of wetlands as a tool for their conservation and sustainable
use. Delegates considered and adopted more than 40 resolutions addressing
a broad range of policy, technical, programme and budgetary matters,
including wetlands and agriculture, climate change, cultural issues,
mangroves, water allocation and management, and the Report of the
World Commission on Dams. They also approved the Convention’s
budget and Work Plan for 2003-2005, and its Strategic Plan for 2003-2008. A draft resolution on climate change and wetlands was taken up
in the technical session on major challenges and opportunities,
and in a contact group. During the technical session held on 20
November, Habiba Gitay of the Australian National University introduced
a resolution (COP8 DR 3) highlighting climate change impacts on
wetlands and biodiversity, including increased risk of extinction
for wetland-dependent species, coral bleaching, and possible transformation
of peatlands. The contact group considered amendments proposed by Contracting
Parties and representatives of the Global Biodiversity Forum, and
agreed to include references to the vulnerability of small island
developing States (SIDS) and the World Summit on Sustainable Development’s
(WSSD) Plan of
Implementation. Participants were unable to agree on a number of
other topics, including over a proposed annex to the resolution
that sets out key issues for addressing the impacts of climate change
on wetlands, as well as options for adaptation and mitigation responses.
After much debate, delegates agreed to remove the annex from the
resolution, and to insert similar text as an executive summary in
the relevant background document on climate change (COP8 DOC.11). Resolution VIII.4 calls on Contracting Parties to manage wetlands
so as to increase their resilience to climate change and extreme
climatic events, and calls on all relevant countries to take action
to preserve and restore peatlands and other wetland types that are
significant carbon stores. There are presently 134 Contracting Parties to the Convention,
signed in Ramsar (Iran) in 1971, with 1,229 wetland sites, totalling
105.9 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List
of Wetlands of International Importance. Uganda has offered to host COP-9 in 2005. Contact: Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196
Gland, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/999 0170, fax +41-22/999 0169,
e-mail <ramsar@ramsar.org>,
website (www.ramsar.org).
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