United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-06-27

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

FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

BY KOFI

ANNAN

SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

THE SECRETARY-GENERALS OPENING REMARKS

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen ,

Let me start by saying that I am deeply honoured by the vote that has just taken place in the Security Council and I am grateful for the trust and support they have given me. But I hope you will understand that I do not wish to speak about it at this press conference. As you know, this is a matter on which the Council recommends, but it is for the General Assembly to decide. Until the Assembly has taken its decision, I believe it would not be proper for me to get too much into this and I hope you will bear with me.

In any case, that is not today's subject. Today, as you know, is the final day of the Special Session on HIV/AIDS, which I think we should all recognise as a truly historic event.

It is historic for two reasons. First, the level of attendance shows that the world is at long last waking up to the gravity of the HIV/AIDS crisis. And second, the Declaration that will be adopted later this afternoon provides us with a clear strategy for tackling it.

It is clear that all political leaders in important areas of both the developed and the developing countries are now taking this challenge very seriously and I have attended some very important meetings with them and I have had the chance to discuss with them one on one. I hope this level of commitment will soon spread to all countries, especially those in Asia and eastern Europe where infection rates are going to rise steeply in the next year or two.

But I am perhaps even more impressed by the strong participation of non-governmental activists - within national delegations, at a wide range of parallel events, in the Round Tables, and as observers in the plenary sessions.

You can feel their presence and you feel the presence of these activities everywhere, and they really have transformed the atmosphere of the building - as they do at all the best United Nations events.

I am more than ever convinced that such partnerships are essential to our success in the new century. Of course they bring problems and controversy with them, but so does every new idea.

In the last two days, some painful differences have been brought into the open - but that is the best place for them. Like AIDS itself, these differences need to be confronted head on, not swept under the carpet.

What is important is that, after today, we shall have a document setting out a clear battle plan for the war against HIV/AIDS, with clear goals and a clear timeline. It is a blueprint from which the whole of humanity can work, in building a global response to a truly global challenge.

And if there is one idea that stands out clearly from the Declaration, it is that women are in the forefront of this battle. It can only be won if women are fully educated and enjoy their full rights, including a full say in devising society's collective response. It has been said that "girl power is Africa's own vaccine against HIV", and that should be true for the whole world.

Equally important, everyone now recognises the need for additional resources, and we have heard some impressive pledges of money during the Session. I hope that before and during the G8 summit in Genoa next month we shall hear even more.

The strong and widespread support for my proposal of a Global AIDS and Health Fund is particularly gratifying. I have now had the chance to discuss this proposal with many different parties, and I am working with all stakeholders - the G-8, other donors, developing countries, foundations, Non-Governmental Organizations and the private sector - to convene a group to finalize the details of the Fund. This transitional group will complete its work in time for the Fund to become operational by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, there have been many immediate offers of contributions from both public and private donors. In fact, UNAIDS is already receiving cheques: here is one for a thousand dollars, from a private citizen, and I am delighted to say it is marked "first instalment".

I have asked the United Nations Foundation to set up a special account to receive these contributions, which will be tax exempt for US citizens and taxpayers, and to hold them in readiness for transfer to the Fund as soon as it is operational.

All in all, I feel even more confident today than I did three days ago that we can defeat this deadly disease.

Let me now take your questions.

SUMMARY OF ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

On AIDS and the Global Fund

Asked for details on how the Global Fund would be structured, the Secretary-General said it would be a private-public partnership. The board will have members from donor and recipient Governments, the private sector, NGOs, as well as some UN agency representatives. "We would hope to keep the board quite small," adding that there will be a scientific panel and a small Secretariat to handle daily operations. He said of the Secretariat, "We intend to keep it light, responsive and non-bureaucratic." In the next week or two, he said, he hoped to work with all stakeholders to develop a transitional team to work out the details of the Fund so that it can be set up by end of the year.

In response to a question on how the Fund could avoid being held hostage to divisions among States, Annan drew attention to the work of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), which has raised over a billion dollars, and which has been structured effectively as a private-public partnership, with no divisions. "We really hope to replicate that experience," he said. He added that, given the consensus on AIDS, once the board is established, there should be very differences.

Asked what the Fund should do that cannot be done bilaterally, the Secretary-General said that the main purpose is to raise the level of funding on AIDS. He noted that the Fund would focus on AIDS, but also deal with tuberculosis and malaria. He hoped the Fund could assist Governments in raising the level of health care, and the level of resources for AIDS.

In response to a question on how much money should go into the Fund, he said he wanted to see the level of funding on AIDS lifted. Harvard University has estimated that AIDS has already cost the world $500 billion, so, he said, $10 billion a year to fight the disease should be seen as "eminently sensible." He added that he wanted expenditure on the disease to be increased five-fold from present levels.

Asked how the United Nations will sustain momentum on AIDS, Annan responded that all parties -- including Governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals -- would have to be involved. He said he has arranged to see some of the key constituencies regularly, including pharmaceutical companies, Governments. But without broad participation, he warned, the world may fail in the fight against AIDS, and he added, "It is a fight we cannot afford to lose."

Asked for his response to critics who say the declaration on AIDS is just rhetoric, the Secretary-General said that such criticism occurs after nearly each large meeting. However, over the past 10 to 15 years, the United Nations has organized a series of extremely useful meetings. "It is sometimes difficult to quantify the achievement," he conceded. But he asserted, "We have focused awareness on this issue in a manner that the world had not seen before. And I hope this conference will energize people at the grassroots and it will encourage them to become involved." The meeting, he said, sets a yardstick for performance to be measured.

Asked how the United Nations would reach out to rural community, which has its own AIDS concerns, Annan said the United Nations has tried to encourage Governments to pay attention to rural development, since otherwise, thousands and millions of people are attracted to come to the city. He noted the work of the UN Center for Human Settlements, among other bodies, in encouraging a balanced development between cities and rural areas.

On AIDS and rights

In response to a question on the dispute in the General Assembly over naming groups that are particularly vulnerable to AIDS, the Secretary-General noted that, in his own statement to the General Assembly, he had said the world is dealing with human tragedy of unimaginable proportions. He said that those who are infected with HIV should be dealt with in a human manner, adding, "They are human beings with human rights that ought to be respected." They should not face discrimination once they are infected, including being dropped from their jobs or ostracized.

Asked whether the omission of references to homosexuals, sex workers and intravenous drug users was a "victory for prejudice," the Secretary-General said, "I think the fight is not going to be won in a day." He believed that everyone had learned something during the discussions at the Special Session. He argued, "The debate has begun, and it's not going to go away."

Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), added that the entire reference to vulnerable groups had not disappeared from the declaration. He noted that the debate on the subject had taken place everywhere, including his native country of Belgium.

One correspondent noted the case of a representative of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Coalition who was allowed to speak at the Special Session and asked whether this represented a change. The Secretary-General responded, "I hope so." He added, "We need to open up this organization, we need to bring the UN closer to the people and we need to work in partnership with civil society, with the private sector and foundations." He said he believed that Member States are beginning to open up and to work closely with NGOs, and asserted, "We are moving in the right direction."

Asked what can be done to help change societal attitudes towards women, the Secretary-General noted efforts made in recent gatherings, such as the Abuja Summit of African leaders, to bring in women's groups and to ensure that women play an important role. He stressed the importance of empowerment and education, and added that he was encouraged by the work being done on microbicides, to give women the means to protect themselves.

Asked whether some Islamic States still had concerns about the wording in the AIDS declaration on women's empowerment, the Secretary-General said he understood that an agreement was close on that. He added, "Any society that refuses to use the talents of 50 percent of its population is likely to lose out," and noted the contributions of key women in the UN system, including UN Population Fund Executive Director Thoraya Obaid, who is from Saudi Arabia.

On a possible second term

Asked what agenda he might have in the months ahead, including any initiatives on the Middle East, the Secretary-General said that, in the next couple of months, he would continue his efforts in getting the Global Fund on AIDS and Health established. Also, he said, he would work with leaders around the world to try to bring the tragedy in the Middle East to an end. He added that work would continue to implement the Millennium Declaration agreed to last year, and commented, "I'm not going to be short of work."

Asked how he could do a better job in a possible second term, he said, "I think there's always room for improvement." He said he had appreciated the cooperation of Member States and of an "excellent" UN staff. He hoped the challenges ahead would galvanize Member States and promised, "I will continue my efforts to work as hard as I have in the past five years."

On other issues

Asked whether he still has full confidence in Pino Arlacchi's leadership of the Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention, the Secretary-General said that he has received reports on the management of that Office, which he is studying, and that he would review them before making a judgment.

In response to a question on the upcoming Indo-Pakistan summit, the Secretary-General noted that he had visited the region in March and talked to the leaders of both countries, and he has since written to both to encourage them to find a solution. "I'm extremely happy that the two leaders are going to meet," he said. He did not expect that at the first meeting, they would be able to solve all their problems, but it was nonetheless an important step that had his full support.

Asked about reports that Iraqis have been killed because of the "no-fly zone," the Secretary-General noted that the Iraqi authorities have discussed that issue with him repeatedly. He said some members of the Security Council were enforcing the "no-fly zone," but that there is a question of whether the zones are sanctioned by the Security Council. He hoped the Council would resolve the issue.Then, expressing his own view, he said, "When you analyze and read the Security Council resolutions, I do not see the Security Council resolutions as a basis for that, but there is a debate."

In response to a question on the removal of international assistance from Haiti, Annan said he didn't think that it was fair for support or assistance for a country so severely stricken to be removed. He added that the international community should help Haiti.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Security Council decided to recommend Secretary-General Kofi Annan for a second term, the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury of Bangladesh, announced today. The Council President said he will send a letter to the President of the General Assembly, Harri Holkeri, informing him of the Councils decision, which was taken by acclamation, with the support of all members of the Council. The General Assembly is expected to act on the recommendation on Friday.

This afternoon, the Security Council will hold a closed meeting to hear from the Second Vice-President of Burundi Mathias Sinamenye. Immediately following that meeting, the Council will move to closed consultations to be briefed by Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast on the latest developments in Burundi.

Consultations are ongoing between the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR) and the Chinese government over the fate of the seven North Korean asylum seekers who are spending the second night in the UNHCR office in Beijing. UNHCR has said that these people deserve asylum and is seeking assistance to find a solution for them with all concerned authorities.

The Secretary-General, in his progress report to the Security Council on the UN Mission in Sierra Leone, notes the positive developments in the country over the past two months but flags the challenges ahead. Warning that the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program could be stalled as a result of insufficient funding, he appeals for urgent and generous funding. The UN mission will continue forward deployment, in particular the diamond-producing areas in the east, he says, adding that he will present in the next report detailed recommendations on the size and tasks of the mission in support of the peace process and elections. The Security Council will discuss Sierra Leone on Thursday.

In The Hague today, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that the United States had breached its obligations to Germany by not informing two German nationals who faced the death penalty of their rights under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The Court also determined that its provisional measure in 1999 that the United States should not execute one of the two nationals, Walter LeGrand, pending a final decision of the ICJ was legally binding. He was executed.

The Secretary-General, in his latest report to the General Assembly on the work of the UN Verification Mission in Guatemala (MINUGUA), said that it is urgent for the principal actors in that country to move ahead in the search for consensus and the consolidation of peace there. He added that lack of equity in employment opportunity, lack of gender equity, ethnic discrimination, lack of access to basic services and extreme poverty threaten the gains of the peace process.

In a statement issued through his Spokesman, the Secretary-General noted recent media statements on the possibility that trials of Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia could begin this year, and said that no trials can start until a Memorandum of Understanding between the United Nations and Cambodia is signed and ratified. The Secretary-General has reiterated that it is the Cambodian Government's responsibility to ensure that the enabling law for the trials is enacted by the Cambodian Parliament in a timely manner; this legislation has to be in conformity with the Memorandum of Understanding.

The Secretary-General, in a statement issued through his Spokesman, welcomed the announced by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that it will release more than 250 soldiers and policemen on Thursday. The Secretary-General remains concerned by the increasing violence affecting the unarmed civilian population and by threats that fighting could spread further into urban areas, according to the statement.

In another statement on the Central African Republic (CAR) and the work of the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy there, General Amadou Toumani Toure, the Secretary-General said he welcomes all efforts to promote national reconciliation and stability and considers the resolution adopted by the National Assembly at an extraordinary session last week to be a step in the right direction.

The Republic of Uzbekistan signed two Protocols to the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. Uzbekistan became the 84th country to sign the Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air and the 87th to sign the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General United Nations, S-378 New York, NY 10017 Tel. 212-963-7162 Fax. 212-963-7055

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