United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-05-20

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 20 May 1998

HEADLINES

• Security Council condemns atrocities in Sierra Leone and calls on rebels to lay down arms.
• Secretary-General strongly condemns attack on UN personnel in Angola.
• Secretary-General emphasizes importance of managing multilateralism for peaceful change.
• First round of grants from Ted Turner's $1 billion gift for UN programmes announced.
• UNICEF receives $6.5 million from UN Foundation to help women and children in Africa and South east Asia.
• Head of UN environmental agency says it must become a global leader for new millennium.
• Secretary-General appoints Jan Kubis of Slovak Republic as Special Representative for Tajikistan.

Through a Statement read by its President, Njuguna M. Mahugu of Kenya, the Council also called for an immediate end to the violence against civilians in Sierra Leone. It condemned recent atrocities, including widespread rape, mutilation and slaughter, by members of the Revolutionary United Front and the deposed military junta -- particularly against women and children -- as gross violations of international law.

Expressing grave concern about reports of military support for the rebels, the Council called on all States to strictly observe resolution 1132 (1997) and to avoid any action that might further destabilize the situation. The resolution banned the sale of oil and military supplies to Sierra Leone following the overthrow on 25 May 1997 of the democratically elected Government.

The Council again commended the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and ECOMOG for their important role in restoring peace and security in the country. It reiterated its call for States to provide technical and logistical support to help ECOMOG carry out its peacekeeping role and end the atrocities.

The Council expressed deep concern at the plight of those affected by the continuing insecurity, including tens of thousands of refugees and displaced persons. It urged those concerned to continue humanitarian assistance and underscored the importance of a comprehensive response by UN agencies in coordination with the Government and the support of ECOMOG.

The Council voiced concern for the safety of humanitarian personnel in Sierra Leone and called on all concerned parties to facilitate the work of humanitarian agencies. It urged the parties to protect displaced persons seeking refuge, as well as United Nations and humanitarian aid workers.

The Council welcomed the democratically elected Government's efforts to re- establish effective administration and the democratic process in Sierra Leone. It encouraged ECOWAS to renew its political efforts to foster peace and stability, and urged all parties to embark on the tasks of national reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconciliation.

A vehicle patrol was ambushed on Tuesday about five kilometers north of Calandula in Malange province, the Spokesman said. The patrol included a military observer and a police officer from the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA), a police liaison officer and a commander from the Angolan National Police and a local interpreter. The Angolan police commander was injured, but managed to escape.

A rescue operation was immediately launched by MONUA, the Spokesman said. The UN military observer was found on Wednesday, very seriously injured and evacuated to Luanda. After a long search, the MONUA police officer was found and also evacuated to the capital, where his physical condition is being determined. However, the body of the local interpreter was discovered near the burnt vehicle.

The Secretary-General reiterated in "strong terms" that the safety and security of all UN personnel in Angola should be unequivocally respected, the Spokesman said.

The Spokesman added that the Secretary-General was "extremely worried" about the recent deterioration of the military and security situation in Angola. He strongly appeals to the parties, particularly the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), to complete without delay, the various pending tasks under the Lusaka Protocol, in accordance with the plan submitted on 15 May by his Special Representative for Angola.

In an address to Columbia University Alumni Federation's centennial commencement day luncheon, the Secretary-General said that the threats facing the world must be met with patience, determination, perseverance and a lasting commitment to progress. In other words, he said, they must be met in concert.

One of the seminal mistakes of the immediate post-cold war period was to assume that national allegiance would go the way of communism; that a globalized economy would answer every human need, including the need for belonging, Mr. Annan said.

The multilateral challenge must be met with the nation-State at its core and with international organizations as the instruments of progress, he continued. The United Nations was founded as a union of peoples, of "nations large and small" seeking to "live together in peace as good neighbours" -- not as a world government, he added.

People and leaders from the Middle East to Africa and to Latin America looked to the UN not for salvation, but for practical solutions to shared problems, the Secretary-General said. From Uganda to Guatemala to Afghanistan, the parties and the people must make the crucial choice for peace. The United Nations and the international community, could facilitate, mediate and even propose solutions, but could not make that choice for them, he noted.

Timothy Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation, said at a UN press Conference that the package of projects would advance priority programmes for the environment, population and women, children's health and institutional building.

Twenty-two individual grants were awarded, with a life-of-project funding of over $22 million. Most projects fall into three broad categories: children's health ($6.5 million); environment and climate change ($1.4 million); population and women ($9.3 million). Additional support will go to activities related to landmines ($2.6 million), food security ($1.2 million) and drug control and poverty alleviation.

The grants were selected from over 90 proposals reviewed by the United Nations International Partnership Trust Fund (UNFIP), and its Advisory Board on behalf of the Secretary-General who submitted final recommendations to the Foundation in late April.

Miles Stoby, Executive Director of UNFIP, which coordinates and monitors contributions, said the Foundation's support was a timely and important contribution to advancing the crucial work done by UN funds and programmes every day, under the guidance of Member States. A very solid, cooperative relationship had been established between the Turner people and the UN, he added.

Mr. Wirth said the Foundation would focus on UN causes that are preventive, have a sense of urgency and engage the private sector. It aimed to encourage a "grass roots" approach, foster cooperation among UN agencies and support projects which have a beginning, a middle and an end.

Another part of the Foundation's mission was to support the Office of the Secretary-General and his goals and reform efforts, Mr. Wirth continued. It wanted to help strengthen the UN system and tell its story to the American public who, he said, had a good feeling about the UN. Finally, he said, it wanted to mobilize additional resources, to find "other Ted Turners" and encourage them to use their resources to support the programmes and goals served by the United Nations.

Six UNICEF proposals were approved for immediate work in Africa, Indonesia, and Viet Nam. The largest grant of $2.8 million will go to a three-year guinea worm eradication project in Africa. With its partners, UNICEF will focus on disease control at the village and district level and on improvements in water supply.

A UNICEF project to demobilize child soldiers in Sierra Leone will receive $1.1 million. The emphasis will be on opening interim care facilities for up to 3,200 child combatants and stepped up work on family tracing and reunification.

A $1 millon grant to battle measles and vitamin A deficiency in Nigeria, will aim to protect nearly 5 million children. Remaining grants will support work on maternal mortality and vitamin A supplementation in West Timor/Indonesia, child malnutrition and food safety in Sierra Leone, and to protect children in Viet Nam from worms and intestinal parasites.

The two-day special session of UNEP's Governing Council, will consider proposals to both strengthen and restructure the organization in the context of the wider United Nations reform process.

"We need a new UNEP for a new millennium," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Topfer said. "A UNEP that brings emerging environmental issues and problems to the attention of the global community; a UNEP that is a leader in the development of environmental law; a UNEP that strengthens the link between science, management and policy".

Mr. Topfer is also Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi and acting head of the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). He said he hoped the Nairobi office would soon be on a par with UN offices in Vienna and Geneva. It was a vital partner in the United Nations family and any reform of UNEP and Habitat must reflect that, he added.

Mr. Kubis, who will take up his appointment on 1 July, has been Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre in the secretariat of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) since 1994.

Mr. Merrem will be retiring after 25 years' distinguished service with the United Nations. He has been Special Representative for Tajikistan since May 1996.

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

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