United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-09-02

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

Wednesday, 2 September, 1998

HEADLINES

• In historic judgement, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda finds Jean-Paul Akayesu guilty of genocide.
• Secretary-General says judgement of Rwanda tribunal is landmark decision in history of international criminal law.
• United Nations Secretary-General meets a number of African leaders to discuss Congo-Kinshasa.
• Secretary-General tells Non-Aligned Movement Summit that processes of global change must be managed.
• High Commissioner for Human Rights calls for independent investigations into violent deaths in Kosovo.
• Georgian and Abkhaz sides agree to stop shooting across line of separation of forces.
• United Nations mission in Angola is gravely concerned about suspension of UNITA from government.
• UN Population Fund says record numbers of young and old need protection as world population nears 6 billion.
• UN Conference on Trade and Development reports that in 1997, foreign direct investment rose in all regions.
• Global perspectives on nuclear medicine discussed at United Nations symposium in Berlin.
• UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific announces human resources development award.
• United Nations humanitarian office and development agency prepare to assist drought-stricken Fiji.

Mr. Akayesu, former mayor of Taba, was indicted on 15 counts of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, and Violations of the Geneva Conventions. The three-judge Chamber I unanimously found Mr. Akeyesu guilty of nine counts and not guilty of six counts in his indictment. He was found guilty of Genocide, Direct and Public Incitement to Commit Genocide, and Crimes against Humanity which include extermination, murder, torture, rape and other inhumane acts. The former Rwandan official had pleaded not guilty to all 15 counts.

The tribunal firmly established the individual responsibility of Mr. Akayesu for the massacres aimed mainly at Tutsis in the Taba commune in 1994. The defence had argued that the accused was helpless to prevent the commission of those acts because the effective power in the commune lay with the Interhamwe militias. The defence further argued that as soon as the massacres began, Mr. Akayesu was stripped of all authority and lacked the means to stop the killings.

The tribunal found, to the contrary that Mr. Akayesu, in his capacity as the mayor, was responsible for maintaining law and public order in the Taba commune and that he had effective authority over the communal police. He had admitted during the trial that the inhabitants of Taba respected him and followed his orders.

However, the Tribunal held that he was not guilty of the crimes of Complicity in Genocide and Violations of the Geneva Conventions which included murder and cruel treatment. He was also found not guilty of violating Additional Protocol II defined as outrage upon personal dignity, in particular rape, degrading and humiliating treatment and indecent assault.

In Mr. Akayesu's case, genocide, as defined in the 1948 Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was interpreted for the first time by an international tribunal. The Rwanda tribunal recalled that Genocide, as defined in the Convention, means "the act of committing certain crimes, including the killing of members of the group or causing serious physical or mental harm to members of the group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, racial or religious group, as such."

The tribunal also defined the crime of rape as "a physical invasion of a sexual nature, committed on a person under circumstances which are coercive." Sexual violence, including rape, "is not limited to physical invasion of the human body and may include acts which do not involve penetration or even physical contact." The tribunal held that sexual violence was an integral part of the process of the destruction of the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Secretary-General said that the first-ever judgement on the crime of genocide by an international court brought to life, for the first time, the ideals of the Genocide Convention adopted fifty years ago.

"This judgement is a testament to our collective determination to confront the heinous crime of genocide in a way we never have before," Mr. Kofi Annan said. He added that the judgement was a defining example of the ability of the United Nations to establish an effective international legal order and the rule of law.

"Let us never again be accused of standing by while genocide and crimes against humanity are being committed," the Secretary-General said.

The Secretary-General asserted that he spoke for the entire international community when he expressed the hope that this judgement would contribute to the long-term process of national reconciliation in Rwanda. "For there can be no healing without peace; there can be no peace without justice; and there can be no justice without respect for human rights and the rule of law," Mr. Annan concluded his statement.

The Secretary-General, who is attending the 12th Summit of the Non- Aligned Movement in Durban, South Africa, met informally with President Laurent Kabila of Congo Kinshasa, according to a spokesman.

Earlier, the Secretary-General met with President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe who had been delegated by a group of nations who had met to discuss the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That group of African leaders included the presidents of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Namibia.

The Secretary-General was also scheduled to meet with the presidents of Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia.

"Globalization has raised living standards for many, but its volatility has made life more difficult for many others whose lives have been dislocated by change," the Secretary-General observed. "Moreover, it threatens to leave a large part of the world behind."

The Secretary-General stressed that the groups and individuals who stand to lose from change must be protected -- not against competition but against its social consequences. "Even those with the most to gain need regulation to ensure that competition is fair and governed by clear rules," he said, stressing that globalization and liberalization should not be a one-way street. "Industrialized countries must open their markets to goods from the developing world."

The Secretary-General expressed concern about the deteriorating situation in parts of Africa, citing as "perhaps most worrying of all" the fact that the Democratic Republic of the Congo was once again engulfed in civil war, with forces from neighbouring States engaged on opposite sides.

"My brother African leaders, I appeal to you once again," said Mr. Annan, "We Africans must summon the will to resolve our problems by political, not military, means. For every day that we fail to do so, the innocent people of this continent pay a terrible price."

The Secretary-General also deplored the recent terrorist acts committed in Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania and South Africa. He said that such methods could not be justified by any ideology, any grievance or any faith. "We all have a duty to combat terrorism wherever and whenever it rears its head." The Secretary-General recommended that serious consideration be given to the idea of convening a world conference on terrorism.

Amid new reports of more violence in Kosovo with a rising death toll, High Commissioner Mary Robinson said she was "haunted and horrified" by last weekend's images from the Yugoslav province of charred remains in a makeshift crematorium.

Noting that for many months, the violence in Kosovo had furnished countless images of death, destruction and human suffering, Mrs. Robinson said, "We have seen too many funerals, too many smoldering buildings, too many empty streets and villages." She added that the humanitarian crisis was growing while the political crisis remained unresolved.

The High Commissioner advocated an approach which would highlight areas of common concern among the parties. "Amid this continuing tragedy, I have noticed that all parties, in different ways, have publicly expressed concern over violations of human rights," she said. There was general support for an independent investigation by experts, including international forensic specialists, into the violent deaths resulting from armed actions. "The tragic developments of this past weekend further underscore the need for such investigations," said Mrs. Robinson, noting that joint efforts to promote an independent investigation would be in the interest of all persons committed to human rights in Kosovo.

At a meeting of the Coordinating Council of the Georgian and Abkhaz sides, the parties also agreed to prevent terrorists and subversive groups from crossing the line of separation. They further decided to establish a joint group for the investigation and prevention of terrorist acts and other violations of law and order.

The Council met in Sukhumi under the chairmanship of the Secretary- General's Special Representative for Georgia, Liviu Bota. It requested him to resume negotiations between the parties on overcoming the consequences of armed hostilities which took place in May as well as the safe return of refugees and measures for economic rehabilitation in Abkhazia.

Also during Wednesday's meeting, the two sides assumed the obligation to consider and respond to protests by the United Nations Observer Mission for Georgia (UNOMIG) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeeping force of violations of the Moscow Agreement on a Ceasefire and Separation of Forces.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative, together with representatives of the Russian Federation in its capacity as facilitator, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Friends of the Secretary-General -- France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States -- appealed to the parties to end actions that might lead to a resumption of armed confrontation.

The Council's meeting was held at the highest level of leadership, with Georgia's State Minister, Vazha Lordkipanidze, and Abkhazia's so- called "Prime Minister," Sergei Bagpash, attending.

United Nations Spokesman Fred Eckhard said on Wednesday that the United Nations was concerned about the government's decision to suspend four ministers and seven deputy ministers as well a request of the National Assembly to the Supreme Court for a ruling on the suspension of seventy UNITA deputies.

Spokesman Eckhard said that the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola was urgently seeking clarification from the government. It was also consulting with Portugal, the United States and the Russian Federation, known collectively as the "troika" on these developments in Angola.

Mr. Eckhard said that the latest developments in Angola further jeopardized attempts to get the peace process back on track. He added that the Secretary-General had been informed of these developments and was scheduled to meet with Angolan President Jos‚ Eduardo dos Santos on Wednesday.

Released on Wednesday, UNFPA's annual State of World Population report finds that global population growth is slowing thanks to successful family planning programmes. But because of past high fertility, world population will continue to grow by over 80 million a year for at least the next decade. In mid-1999, the total will pass 6 billion -- twice what it was in 1960.

Falling fertility and smaller families have prompted recent well- publicized claims that the "population explosion" is over. On the contrary, the UNFPA report points out, world population will continue to grow substantially for at least another 50 years. In 2050 it will be between 7.7 and 11.2 billion, with 9.4 billion considered most likely.

In some developing regions, over the next two decades, young people will swell the workforce compared to older and younger dependents. This will create a temporary opportunity to build human capital and spur long- term development, before dependency levels go up again as populations age. To take advantage of this "demographic bonus", the report emphasizes, countries need to invest in education, jobs and health services, including reproductive health care.

Declining fertility and mortality will produce a gradual demographic shift towards an older population in all countries over the next few decades. With smaller families, parents will increasingly have fewer children to support them in old age. As people live longer and more independently, a variety of forms of support for the elderly, including voluntary programmes as well as public systems, will become more important. The UNFPA report stresses that old-age security systems should guarantee a basic level of services to all.

According to UNFPA, a lack of funds to meet the global demand for contraception would result in millions of additional unintended or unwanted pregnancies and abortions, tens of thousands of additional maternal deaths, and at least a million more infant and child deaths each year during 1995- 2000.

World foreign direct investment (FDI) flows continued to expand in 1997, passing the $400 billion level, with prospects for a further increase this year, according to UNCTAD. Last year, FDI outflows reached $424 billion, while FDI inflows amounted to $400 billion.

Developing countries as a group account for more than one third of world FDI flows, UNCTAD reported. Despite the divergent economic performance of individual countries, FDI reached record levels in all major country groupings in 1997. Developed countries invested $359 billion globally -- up by 27 per cent over 1996 -- and attracted $233 billion inward FDI -- a 19 per cent increase. Inflows to developing countries rose at a slower rate than to the developed ones, but were still up by a significant 15 per cent to reach $149 billion; outflows were up 24 per cent, to $61 billion. Dramatic increases were registered in Central and Eastern Europe, albeit still at relatively small levels. FDI inflows to the region increased by 44 per cent to $19 billion and outflows more than tripled to $3 billion.

UNCTAD states that this rapid growth of FDI is "clearly contributing to the increasing internationalization and integration of economies." Seven percent of global GDP is now generated by production of foreign affiliates of transnational corporations. If parent firms were included the proportion would be much higher.

The most important factor behind the increase of FDI in 1997 was the growth of cross-border mergers and acquisitions, which were facilitated by ongoing FDI liberalization and deregulation, according to UNCTAD.

Sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the symposium offered participants the opportunity to address the problem of neonatal hypothyroidism, which leads to mental retardation and intellectual impairment. One in every 3,500 new- born babies worldwide is affected by a thyroid deficiency, while up to 1 in 900 babies suffer from the condition in regions with low iodine diets.

If the disease is detected within the earliest days of life and the child is treated promptly with a hormonal replacement, it will grow up to be normal and healthy. Proper detection requires screening all newborns. Over the past 10 years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been supporting screening programs in more than 20 developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, using the Radioimmunoassay (RIA) technique.

The Agency helped the Uruguayan Nuclear Medicine Center in Montevideo bring the costs of "reagents" used for the tests down to just $1 per test. "All attempts at starting a national screening program had failed until the International Atomic Energy Agency helped us to produce the RIA reagents locally," explains Dr. Alicia Aznarez of the Nuclear Medicine Centre, who is in charge of the Uruguayan screening program and presenting its results at the Symposium. To date, 68 positive cases have been identified in Uruguay and undergone appropriate treatment.

With IAEA assistance, for example, Thailand is expected to test all of the country's new-borns (1.2 million per year) by the year 2000. In Latin America, over 3 million babies are being screened per year. Uruguay has already reached 100 per cent screening coverage during the past four years, and three other Latin American countries are now screening over 85 per cent of their infant population.

Support to national laboratories has included the supplies, state-of-the- art equipment for diagnosis, computer software, expert services and quality control, including safety procedures, as part of the IAEA training. Interactive multimedia educational software is being developed to help train doctors and technicians.

The theme of the 1998 round of the Award is human resource development through adult education. The Award carries a prize of US$30,000 in the form of a grant in support of further work in adult education.

The Award was established by ESCAP in 1990 to encourage research, training and other innovative achievement in the field of human resources development in Asia and the Pacific. This year's Award is being sponsored by the Government of the Netherlands. More information can be found on ESCAP's website at www.escap-hrd.org.

In a situation report issued on Wednesday, OCHA said that the drought triggered by the El Nino phenomenon was threatening Fiji's economy which heavily relies on sugar production and agriculture. OCHA said in 1998 Fiji was expected to have the lowest production of sugar since 1939. "An even smaller sugar cane crop is now a real prospect for 1999," said OCHA.

According to OCHA, the drought also adversely affected food production in Fiji. For example, OCHA added, there had been a complete failure of the rain-fed rice crop. The root crop production of July and August was "at its lowest level in memory," said OCHA.

"It is anticipated that, as Fiji moves out of crop maturity season, food shortages will be felt more," OCHA pointed out, adding that this could have a snowballing effect on public health, education and food requirements.

Quoting media reports, OCHA said that children were dropping out of schools and parents were scrounging in rubbish dumps to feed their families as a prolonged drought took its toll.

OCHA and the Disaster Management Programme of UNDP said that they would assist the Government of Fiji in the assessment of the present drought. The assessment would aim to obtain data from key sectors and non-governmental organizations and to coordinate and analyze the information to enable better planning for relief needs as well as medium and long term recovery.

OCHA also said that it was prepared to serve as a channel for cash contributions to provide immediate relief assistance to Fiji.

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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article