United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-12-24

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Thursday, 24 December, 1998

Next Update: 4 January 1999

HEADLINES

• UN leader pledges to work for peace in response to a little boy concerned about Iraq.
• Security situation in Sierra Leone prompts UN to relocate staff.
• Head of UN environment agency urges collective efforts to conserve biological diversity.
• At year end, 117 Member States make their payments to UN regular budget.
• Second library in Belarus to distribute UN documents to country's readers.

In his letter to the boy, Lucas, who is attending the United Nations International School, the Secretary-General said that he was happy to see that one was never too young to speak out for peace.

According to a UN spokesman, the letter from the boy was part of a large number of calls and communications which the Secretary-General has been receiving from people around the world, in particular the United States, who are concerned about the situation in Iraq.

A United Nations spokesman said that the UN was relocating non- essential staff to Guinea and its field teams in Sierra Leone to Freetown, the country's capital. The spokesman said that these actions were taken as precautionary measures.

According to the spokesman, there are currently 20 internationally recruited staff from various UN agencies in Freetown. Some of them may also be relocated to Conakry leaving only essential staff members in Freetown.

In his message on the eve of the International Day for Biological Diversity which will be marked on 29 December, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer says that there is an urgent need to mobilize and avail to the countries the necessary support, including scientific, technical and adequate financial resources in a timely and sustainable manner. He says that all sectors of civil society, including the scientific community, non- governmental organizations and industry have a critical role to play in support of government efforts.

Drawing attention to the problems that the Earth is currently facing, Mr. Toepfer points to the impacts of climate change, global warming, desertification and pollution to its oceans and freshwater bodies. To address environmental and developmental issues, Mr. Toepfer adds, the interlinkages of these impacts must be identified and recognized in all biodiversity-related conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity which came into force on 29 December 1993.

The head of UNEP calls upon the international community, the United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations and all people of goodwill to espouse and promote the philosophy that the destiny of the planet is in everyone's hands.

The 1998 United Nations Honour Roll lists 22 Member States who met their Charter obligation to pay in full their 1998 regular budget assessments, which were due by the end of January 1998.

The Fundamental Library of the Belarusian State University in Minsk will be part of 367 libraries in 141 countries that brings United Nations materials to users around the world.

In March, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Belarus, in cooperation with the Belarusian State University, started a project to establish a centre for United Nations studies at the University. The main objectives of the Centre are to promote United Nations goals and ideals in the Republic of Belarus and to contribute to research and studies on various United Nations activities, including, in particular, international security, economic, social, and humanitarian issues, environment, international law and human rights.

Founded in 1921, the Fundamental Library has a collection of 2 million volumes, over 1,000 current periodicals, and also promotes the use of microforms and CD-ROMs. The library, which has 126 professional librarians on its staff, is used by 15,000 students, including 700 students of the Faculty of International Relations, and by 1,700 lecturers and professors.

Since 1946, the Dag Hammarskjold Library at United Nations Headquarters in New York has arranged for the distribution of United Nations documents and publications to users around the world through its depository library system. The depository libraries receive United Nations materials, with the understanding that the collections will be maintained in good working order and be available to the public free of charge.

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

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