United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-04-14

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Tuesday, 14 April, 1998

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General warns snags in identification process in Western Sahara may put in question UN mission there.
• UNICEF says recruiting child soldiers should be war crime, urges protection under proposed criminal court.
• Secretary-General concerned for well-being of Tibetans on hunger strike.
• Despite improvements, Democratic People's Republic of Korea still faces threat of hunger, warns UN food agency.
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights arrives in Bosnia and Herzegovina on last leg of trip to region.
• UN Population Fund brings together experts to review progress in adolescent reproductive health care.

In his latest report to the Security Council, the Secretary-General recommends a three-month extension of the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), saying that May and June will be crucial for determining whether a solution can be found to the problem of three contested tribes, which are referred to as H41, H61 and J51/52.

So far, 101,772 persons have been identified as being eligible for participation in the referendum, which will offer the people of Western Sahara the choice between independence or integration with Morocco. Fewer than 60,000 remaining applicants will still have to be convoked from among the non-contested tribes. In addition, there are some 65,000 members of the three contested tribes.

The identification process has slowed in recent months, in large part because the Government of Morocco was reluctant to start identification at two locations in the north of the country, according to the report. The process has also been interrupted by representatives of the two parties over "perceived slights and accusations." Further, the Moroccan press has printed almost daily accusations -- albeit unsubstantiated -- of an alleged bias against Moroccan-sponsored applicants on the part of the Identification Commission.

The Secretary-General writes that if no solution to the problem of contested tribes is found by the end of June, and if a large number of applicants from non-contested tribes remains to be identified, "it would be my intention to recommend that the Security Council reconsider the viability of the mandate of MINURSO."

In a statement issued Tuesday, UNICEF's Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, said the proposed Court should give a clear signal that atrocities committed against children will not go unpunished. "Whether children are assigned to combat or supposedly combat roles, they are vulnerable to the horrors of war and manipulation by adult soldiers and commanders," she stressed. "To allow this to continue would constitute a complete violation of children's rights".

UNICEF wants the minimum age of military recruitment to be raised from 15 to 18 years of age. It also urged that inducement or coercion of children under 18 into prostitution be considered a war crime, along with murder, torture, rape, other forms of sexual violence and military attacks on schools. Children under the age of 18 should not be held legally responsible for crimes which could be tried by the court, the UNICEF statement said.

The UNICEF appeal comes ahead of formal discussions in June in Rome on the creation of the court which would try those accused of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.

On any given day, an estimated 250,000 children under the age of 18 are involved in armed conflicts around the world. UNICEF wants the proposed Court to protect children regardless of whether they are used as front-line fighters or in support roles, such as messengers or drivers.

On Monday, the Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, Gillian Sorensen, discussed the issue at United Nations Headquarters in New York with actor Richard Gere, according to the Spokesman for the Secretary- General, Fred Eckhard. Mr. Gere had come to convey his grave concern over the health of the six Tibetan hunger strikers.

"The Secretary-General was already aware of the concerns of the six hunger strikers," said Mr. Eckhard. "While recognizing that meeting their specific demands rests within the sole competence of Member States, the Secretary- General acknowledges that this non-violent action is a reflection of their personal commitment."

Deeply concerned for the well-being of the hunger strikers, the Secretary- General appealed to them, on humanitarian grounds, to discontinue the strike so as not to further jeopardize their health, Mr. Eckhard added.

Speaking after a four-day visit to the country, WFP Executive Director Catherine Bertini said in Beijing that although there were still many cases of malnutrition among children, international aid was having a beneficial effect. The WFP decision to target food distribution to children age six and under in nurseries, kindergartens and children's centres had improved their general health. However, other major sectors of the population showed no improvement and, in many cases the situation had worsened.

Ms. Bertini said she had urged the authorities in the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea to allow WFP monitors to enter outlying areas in 50 of the country's 210 counties. Proposed operations in those areas would have to be terminated, if the agency was unable to gain access within 30 days, she said, noting that the authorities had promised to improve cooperation with WFP efforts.

While in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia last Friday, High Commissioner Ogata went to Pristina, where she met with the Serbian government administrator as well as with Ibrahim Rugova, the leader of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian community. In separate meetings with both, she stressed her concern about the humanitarian consequences that would result if the conflict in Kosovo were to escalate. She also visited a refugee centre housing Croatian Serb refugees and met with a displaced Kosovo Albanian family from the Drenica area.

The 4-day round-table, which is organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will be held from 14 to 17 April at the Ford Foundation in New York. It will review achievements, programme experiences and policy changes by countries in response to adolescent reproductive and sexual health needs.

The meeting is the first in a series of international events that are part of the "ICPD+5" process -- a five-year review of progress to implement the Cairo platform for action and to make recommendations for the future. Representatives from governments, non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and academic and research foundations will attend.

From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article