United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-12-09

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 9 December, 1998

HEADLINES

• Preparations under way for commemoration of 50th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Text on protection of fundamental freedoms among Assembly's resolutions adopted on reports of its social committee.
• Members of Security Council agree to keep United Nations political office in Bougainville.
• Chief UN weapons inspector says Iraqi compliance cannot be assessed on basis of one incident.
• UN data highlights disparities in food availability in rich and poor countries.
• Head of UN environment agency urges action to prevent dryland degradation.

A wide-ranging programme of commemorative events will open with the presentation by Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the 1998 human rights prizes that are given for outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Representatives from more than 140 countries will then address a day-long meeting of the General Assembly.

In a message released today, the Assembly President, Didier Opertti of Uruguay, described the Declaration as a milestone in the history of the advance of civilization. It was more than a catalogue of rights, he said. It was a vision of life based on affirmation of the human person as being in charge of his or her own destiny. It covered all aspects of human dignity in the context of a democratic society and proceeded from the basis that respect for human rights is a fundamental factor in the prevention of conflicts.

He said the building of a system to protect human rights was destined to be indefinitely extended, not only to perfect existing instruments, but also because new rights need to be established, as a result of social change, new ways of life and new sensibilities.

At the end of the observance, the Assembly is scheduled to adopt a draft resolution entitled, the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

A Declaration on the rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms was one of 64 texts adopted, 9 by recorded vote and the rest by consensus. The Declaration states that everyone has the right, individually and with others, to promote and strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international level. In another resolution, the Assembly reaffirmed the importance of the right to development as an integral part of human rights.

The Assembly also urged all States to sign and ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It called on them to adopt effective measures against the sexual exploitation of children and to end the use of child soldiers.

In a resolution adopted by a recorded vote, the Assembly urged all States to exercise the utmost vigilance against the menace of mercenaries and to take legislative measures to ensure that their territories or nationals were not used for the recruitment, training and transit of mercenaries.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Assembly held a debate on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace. A resolution on this item, that was introduced today, would be acted on at a alter date after a review of its budget implications.

The Assembly also decided to postpone, until Thursday, 17 December, the date it would recess its work at the current session. The postponement was needed to allow time for its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) to conclude its work.

The President of the Security Council for the month of December, Ambassador Jassim Mohammed Buallay of Bahrain, told reporters that members of the Council hoped that the United Nations would play an effective role in the peace process in Bougainville. The Council had extended the mandate of the United Nations Observer in Bougainville by one year, with a review to take place in six months.

Members of the Council called on all the faction leaders in Bougainville to be engaged actively and constructively in the dialogue in order to achieve a permanent peace in line with the Lincoln agreement. The Agreement on Peace, Security and Development on Bougainville was signed at Lincoln University in New Zealand on 23 January 1998 to end the conflict in Bougainville.

The United Nations established its presence in Bougainville at the request of the parties for the purpose of chairing the peace process consultative committee, monitoring implementation of peacekeeping arrangements and assisting in confidence-building.

Ambassador Richard Butler, the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission, (UNSCOM), was reacting to the news that Iraq had turned away a United Nations inspection team.

Ambassador Butler is expected to give his final report assessing overall Iraqi compliance next week. As of now, Ambassador Butler has not been asked by the Security Council to report on the latest incident.

The Executive Chairman of UNSCOM said that "surprise inspections" and the routine work of UNSCOM would continue in Iraq.

In a new map with the most recent data on nutrition and malnutrition in 177 countries, FAO says that Denmark, Portugal, Ireland, the United States and Greece have the highest food availability, while countries like Mozambique, Burundi, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Somalia have the lowest food per person. The FAO map does not reflect the effects of recent natural disasters, economic crises and conflicts.

According to the Rome-based agency, the industrialized countries have the highest food availability world-wide, with an average daily energy supply per person of 3,340 kilocalories as compared to only 2,060 kilocalories in the poorest countries. The countries in transition have 2,850 kilocalories per person.

"Globally there is enough food to feed the world, but it is not equally distributed and many people do not have the means to buy it," said Hartwig de Haen, FAO Assistant Director-General. Mr. Haen, who is also the head of FAO's Economic and Social Department, said that even where food supplies were adequate at the national level, access to food was often a serious problem. "Within countries, and even within households, food is not always equally distributed," he said. He said that to ensure nutritional well- being, every individual must have access at all times to sufficient supplies of a variety of safe, good-quality foods.

According to FAO, more than 800 million people in developing countries are chronically undernourished and some two billion people are estimated to be affected by micronutrient deficiencies of vitamin A, iron and iodine.

Speaking at a meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, held in Dakar, Senegal, UNEP'S Executive Director, Klaus Toepfer, said that the most effective actions for preventing dryland degradation were often the same as those needed to prevent biological diversity or minimize the risk of climate change. He said that by bringing these distinct issues together in their national policies, governments could heighten the impact of their national investments while boosting their fund-raising potential.

Ministers and high-level officials attending the two-week meeting are exploring how to promote more financial and technological support to programmes for combating desertification.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was adopted in 1994 based on a mandate from the 1992 Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro. The Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change were adopted at the summit. They are aimed at promoting sustainable development while protecting the environment.

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

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