NO 99 August — September 2003 CALENDAR
| UN UPDATE | NGO AND OTHER NEWS | FOCUS |
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S-G Urges Security Council Reform GA Debates UN Future SC Approves Resolution Protecting UN Workers GA Devotes High-Level Plenary Session to HIV/AIDS Security Council Separates Tribunals UN Launches Commission on the Private Sector World Investment Report HR Sub-Commission: Corporate Responsibility States Parties to the ICC Meet Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Ratification Urged Conference on Disarmament: Stalemate in 2003 Ottawa Landmine Convention Holds 5th Meeting Ministerial Conference on Transit Transport Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Burundi UNAIDS & Global Fund Sign MoU World Bank Reports on AIDS and Africa ECA Reports on African Economic Growth ECLAC Report Predicts MDGs Won't be Met ECLAC Report Forecasts Modest Recovery Social Panorama of Latin America ILO: Labour Productivity Around the World UNODC: Fact Finding Mission in Iraq UNODC: 20th Project in Afghanistan UNODC: Survey on Synthetic Drugs World Habitat Day UNEP/CI Report on Tourism and Biodiversity POPs Protocol to Enter into Force UNCCD COP-6 Meets in Havana FAO Sub-Commission on Aquaculture Meets FAO Warns of Forest Fires UNESCO Establishes Trafficking Clearinghouse UN Human Rights Committee 78th Session UNHCR Revises Guidelines on Refugee Women UNHCR Launches Women's Human Rights Website Inter-Agency Task Force on Gender and Trade The Yearbook of the United Nations 2001 UNGLOBE Urges UN to Recognize GayRights |
UN/NGO
Cooperation Role of Civil Society in Conflict Prevention ASP Receives Funding for Clean-up of Pesticide CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines Permanent Forum on Indigeneous Issues NGO Update |
Focus PrepCom II of the World Summit on the Information Society 26 Further Progress Needed in Afghan Peace Process 27 UNEP 22nd Session of Governing Council 28 IFAD Holds 25th Anniversary Session 29 Conference Follow-Up Working Group Meets 31 Commission for Social Development Holds 41st Session 32 Investment in Women Stressed on International Women’s Day 34 Publications Online 35
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UN NGO COOPERATION | |||
| Role of Civil Society in Conflict Prevention | ||||
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meeting on the role of civil society in conflict prevention was held
at UN headquarters in New York on 4 September 2003 as a follow-up
initiative to the General Assembly resolution on the prevention of
armed conflict (A/RES/57/337). Organized by General Assembly President
Jan Kavan (Czech Republic) and co-chaired by Assistant Secretary-General
for Political Affairs Danilo Türk, the discussion explored the future
role of civil society in the process of preventing armed conflict,
emphasizing its dynamic on-the-ground experience, and its growing
potential for informing the timing and nature of international intervention. In opening remarks, both Mr. Kavan and Mr. Türk emphasized the importance of partnership with NGOs in the development and implementation of non-violent means for addressing conflicts and expressed support for the convening of an international conference on the subject at UN headquarters in 2005. Speaking from his considerable experience in conflict resolution processes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland outlined lessons he considered crucial to resolving conflict. “There can be no peace without the participation and will of the parties and populations involved,” he said, stressing that civil society participation was fundamental. “As we have seen from recent examples, peace cannot be imposed.” Representatives of several regional organizations also contributed to the discussions. Andres Serbin from the Coordinadora Regional de Investigaciones Economicas y Sociales (CRIES) said that civil society organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean were approaching security issues in the context of human rights and democratization, giving more and more priority to economic and social issues as inter-State conflicts in the region declined. Emmanuel Bombande from the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP) in Ghana said that in his region most post-1960s conflicts had begun internally and then spilled over into neighbouring countries, engulfing entire communities. The role of civil society had therefore been to understand the dynamics of such conflicts and to complement State action. In States on the verge of collapse, such as Liberia, Mr. Bombande said that civil society groups had sought to cope with the structural and moral vacuum by meeting basic needs and engaging women. Paul Van Tongeren of the Netherlands-based European Centre for Conflict Prevention updated participants on the 2005 International Conference on Conflict Prevention, noting that the preparatory phase of the process had just concluded and that the second phase, which involves organizing regional conferences in 12 regions, had begun. The regional conferences are expected to prepare draft regional action agendas, which will then be integrated at the end of 2004 into one global agenda. Points made during the interactive discussion included the suggestion that not all NGOs and civil society groups had necessarily contributed positively to conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilization. Speakers emphasized that a proper balance should be achieved between regional and local ownership of such processes on the one hand, and participation of the international community on the other. As to what the UN could do to better engage civil society, Mr. Türk said the Secretary-General had been asked to submit a comprehensive report to the General Assembly which will address some of the issues not explored in the 2001 report, noting that questions relating to civil society should be developed more, and CSOs should assist the Secretariat with concerns and ideas to be included in the report. Mary Anderson of the Collaborative for Development Action said that strategic analysis was required for each individual conflict. However, she noted, many lessons had been learned and there was no reason why at this point civil society actors such as international development agencies should exacerbate conflict. Ms. Anderson emphasized that civil society represented one nexus where policies, such as those adopted at the UN, could be translated into action. Contact: International Secretariat, European Centre for Conflict Prevention, Korte Elisabethstraat 6, PO Box 14069, 3508 SC Utrecht, Netherlands, telephone +31-30/242 7777, fax +31-30/236 9268, e-mail <info@conflict-prevention.net>, website (www.conflict-prevention.net). |
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| The
Africa Stockpiles Programme (ASP)—a partnership between international
organizations, NGOs, governments, industry, and multi-lateral funds,
and whose objective is to clear all obsolete pesticide stocks from
Africa in an environmentally sound manner and to put in place measures
to prevent their recurrence—announced that it has received a
commitment of up to US$30 million from CropLife International, a plant
science industry trade association, for the Programme’s clean-up
of an estimated 50,000 tons of obsolete pesticides and contaminated
soil which have stockpiled throughout Africa. The ASP programme is
expected to take 12-15 years to complete, with the 2003-2006 Phase
One involving about 15 countries. Commenting on the Programme, Ian Johnson, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development, said “We cannot ignore the benefits that appropriate pesticide use has had on agriculture, economic development, and public nutrition, however, we must also acknowledge that misused and obsolete pesticides now pose a clear and present danger to the health and nutrition of the Africa population. The World Bank is dedicated to the clean-up across the continent, and very much appreciates CropLife International’s commitment.” Christian Verschueren, Director General of CropLife International, said “The challenge presented to us all by the ASP will clearly require significant collaborative effort and cooperation. We look forward to a continuing collaboration with the World Bank and the other ASP partners in the Programme, with the hope that this initiative will establish a new model for public-private partnerships as a framework for multi-stakeholder relations in the future.” ASP Partners include: the African Development Bank, the Basel Convention Secretariat, CropLife International, the Global Environment Facility, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Pesticides Action Network Africa, the Pesticide Action Network UK, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Institute for Training & Research (UNITAR), the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the African Union, Belgium, Canada, the European Union, France, Japan, Norway, and Sweden. More information can be found online (www.africastockpiles.org). |
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| The
Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS)
has released its International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research
Involving Human Subjects, prepared in collaboration with the World
Health Organization (WHO). The new text supersedes the 1993 Guidelines
and is the third in the series of biomedical-research ethical guidelines
issued by CIOMS since 1982. Its core consists of 21 guidelines with
commentaries. The 2002 Guidelines relate mainly to ethical justification and scientific validity of research; ethical review; informed consent; vulnerability of individuals, groups, communities and populations; women as research subjects; equity regarding burdens and benefits; choice of control in clinical trials; confidentiality; compensation for injury; strengthening of national or local capacity for ethical review; and obligations of sponsors to provide health-care services. Their scope reflects the changes, the advances and the controversies that have characterized biomedical research ethics in the last two decades, and are designed to be of use to countries in defining national policies on the ethics of biomedical research involving human subjects, applying ethical standards in local circumstances, and establishing or improving ethical review mechanisms. A particular aim is to reflect the conditions and the needs of low-resource countries, and the implications for multinational or transnational research in which they may be partners. CIOMS is an international NGO in official relations with the WHO and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Contact: Juhana E. Idänpään-Heikkilä, Secretary-General, CIOMS, c/o World Health Organization, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 3467, fax +41-22/791 3111, e-mail <cioms@who.int>, website (www.cioms.ch). |
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| Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues | ||||
| Nominations
for Members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for January
2005-December 2007 are now open and will close on 1 March 2004. The
Permanent Forum serves as an advisory body to the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues relating
to economic and social development, culture, environment, education,
health and human rights. The Permanent Forum holds annual sessions
of ten working days. A recent curriculum vitae of the nominee for membership must be submitted for consideration by the President of the Economic and Social Council. Information should also be submitted on the nominating organization(s). The principles of geographic distribution and gender balance should be taken into account. Send relevant correspondence to: Office of the Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), UN DC-2 Room No. 2314, New York NY 10017, USA. More information on the Permanent Forum can be found online (www.un.org/esa/socdev/pfii). |
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NGO UPDATE | |||
| 2003 Gender Festival Held in Tanzania | ||||
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The 2003 Gender Festival (GF), sponsored by the Feminist Activist
Coalition (FemAct) and hosted by the Tanzania Gender Networking
Programme (TGNP), was held from 3-6 September 2003 in Dar-es-Salaam
(Tanzania). The event, which takes place every two years, brings
together mainly African gender activists and civil society representatives
working in policy, programme, technical and service delivery and
other areas to take stock of achievements and constraints, and to
foster joint action plans to further the civil society development
agenda. |
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| FAS: Women Working for Peace in Africa | ||||
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Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), a
women’s NGO working for peace in Africa, has recently released
a report entitled Mainstreaming Gender & Women’s Effective
Participation in the African Union (AU) and NEPAD (New Partnership
for Africa’s Development), undertaken in conjunction with the
African Women Committee on Peace and Development (AWCPD). Thanks
to the efforts of these organizations and other networks, the AU
adopted a decision on gender parity within the Commission of the
African Union that in turn led to the election of five women commissioners
of the ten commissioners in total for the African Union. |
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| 18th Global Biodiversity Forum Held | ||||
| The
18th session of the Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) was convened by
IUCN—The World Conservation Union—and some 30 other institutions
from 5-7 September 2003 in Cancun (Mexico). Held immediately prior
to the 5th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization
(WTO), the GBF sent a strong message to governments about “the
urgent need to mitigate the negative impacts of the current trading
system on the closely entwined fates of local communities, to which
we all belong, and the ecosystem upon which our livelihoods depend.” According to organizers, the overall objective of the Forum was to provide a platform for the trade and biodiversity communities to consider how the pursuit of their respective goals and objectives might complement or hinder each other. As Mark Halle of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in Canada noted, “efforts to discuss the inter-linkages between trade and biodiversity have to date remained scattered with little interaction between the communities involved. However, the recent broadening of the WTO agenda to cover more and more aspects that directly impact peoples’ livelihoods has made understanding the intersections between trade and biodiversity increasingly important as advocates in one area find their work impacted by activities in another.” The Forum brought together 140 participants from over 40 countries. Emphasis was given to three key issues: trade and sustainable livelihoods; risk, precaution and biosecurity; and the relationship between the WTO Agreement on Trade-related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The linkages between trade policy, trade rules and sustainable livelihoods, as well as the potential of sustainable trade initiatives as tools for poverty alleviation and environmental conservation were the focus of the workshop on trade and sustainable livelihoods. The workshop on risk, precaution and biosecurity brought together participants working on issues related to trade, biotechnology and invasive alien species (IAS). Ranging from the contamination of native maize varieties in Mexico to the threats posed by species carried in ballast water, the discussions raised a number of broader issues, such as precaution, transparency, the relationship between the environmental and trade regimes, and flexibility for decision making. Participants from the biotechnology and IAS communities recognized the importance of learning from each other’s experiences and joining their efforts to address the overarching issue of trade as it might foster or alleviate biodiversity loss and ultimately the pursuit of sustainable development. Participants from a broad range of groups discussed the link between the TRIPs Agreement and the CBD, calling for the protection of traditional knowledge and biological and cultural diversity in the face of trade liberalization. Deliberations were held on prior informed consent in access agreements; access and benefit-sharing regimes; options for the protection of traditional knowledge; and the mandate of paragraph 19 of the WTO’s Doha Ministerial Declaration, which instructs Members to examine, among others, the TRIPs-CBD relationship and the protection of traditional knowledge and folklore. There was controversy over the legitimacy and appropriateness of any regime that protects intellectual property over life forms. Some participants felt that the best solution was to reform the TRIPs Agreement in light of the CBD, in an effort to find synergies and mutual support, while others were of the view that granting intellectual property rights (IPRs) over life forms was incompatible with the conservation of biological and cultural diversity. Contact: IUCN—The World Conservation Union, Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/999 0216, fax +41-22/999 0025, website (www.gbf.ch). |
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| Number of Aids Orphans Growing | ||||
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The number of children in sub-Saharan
countries orphaned and infected with HIV could rise dramatically
without improved treatment for AIDS, Razia Babot, a University of
Natal researcher warned at the 7th Southern African Network of AIDS
Service Organizations (SANASO) conference held in Lusaka (Zambia)
from 5-8 August 2003. “With absolutely no treatment there will
be 20 million AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa by 2010,”
she said. |
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OTHER NEWS | |||
| World Disaster Report 2003: Ethics in AID | ||||
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According to a report by the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, international
efforts to curb global terrorism are posing major ethical dilemmas
which threaten the legitimacy of humanitarian agencies. World Disasters
Report 2003: Focus on Ethics in Aid highlights the increasing shift
by donors and humanitarian agencies towards high profile aid efforts
in politically strategic conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan,
while chronic emergencies in countries such as Angola, Somalia and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) receive little attention. |
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