United Nations Daily Highlights, 01-08-23

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

BY FRED ECKHARD

SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK Thursday, August 23, 2001

COUNCIL BRIEFED ON PREPARATIONS OF EAST TIMOR ELECTIONS

This morning, the Security Council held a private meeting to hear a briefing on East Timor from Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi.

Annabi informed the Council about the preparations for the August 30 elections to the Constituent Assembly, with the campaign so far proceeding in a peaceful and orderly fashion. Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello has declared that campaigning will end next Tuesday, two days prior to the elections, and that the final national results are to be announced by the Independent Electoral Commission on Monday, September 10.

A high turnout is expected, with more than 400,000 voters registered, and 819 polling stations and 248 polling centers to be in operation on election day.

The Council issued an official communique at the end of its meeting, emphasizing the importance of the peaceful conduct of the August 30 elections.

Following the meeting, the President of the Council, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, spoke to journalist and said the Council members will meet in closed consultations on the Middle East, including the question of Palestine, today at 4:30 p.m.

On Friday, the Security Council will hold consultations on Burundi, on which it will be briefed by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Danilo T&uuml;rk.

REPORT: PALESTINIAN ECONOMY HURT BY CURRENT CRISIS

Today the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) issued its semi-annual report on the Palestinian economy.

The report focuses on the impact of the security and political crisis during the fourth quarter of 2000 and how it has dramatically affected economic indicators for the whole year.

The picture painted in the report is a bleak one. The factor most responsible for negative developments in the fourth quarter, and consequent effects on annual development, is the combination of movement restrictions and border closures imposed by Israeli authorities in response to the crisis.

The Gross National Product of the Palestinian economy decreased by 7.6 percent for the year, whereas before the start of the current crisis, the International Monetary Fund had forecast a growth rate of 6 percent. During the fourth quarter of 2000, the Office of the Special Coordinator estimates that economic activities in the West Bank and Gaza dropped by 51 percent, corresponding to an income loss of $671 million.

A corresponding drop in employment, combined with continued population growth, led to a 4.1 percent drop in per capita income.

According to the report, even if political resolution is reached quickly and restrictions on movement are lifted fully, genuine economic recovery will take years and will require substantial resources and sustained attention.

In the next couple of weeks, the Office will publish another report that will look at the impact on the Palestinian economy of the current crisis from October 1, 2000, until June 30, 2001.

ENVOY SAYS PROBLEM OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED REMAINS "ACUTE"

The Secretary-Generals Representative on Internally Displaced People, Francis Deng, today issued his report to the General Assembly in which he points out that in the eight years since the General Assembly first considered this issue some positive steps have been taken, including the creation of frameworks for meeting the needs of displaced persons and the increased visibility of the issue.

Nevertheless, Deng points out, the problem remains acute. It is estimated that 20 to 25 million people in 40 nations find themselves uprooted from their homes and may lack basic needs within their own country.

Deng notes the positive developments in the past eight years, especially in the international communitys commitment to deal with the problem. However, he says that "the crisis of internal displacement is as acute now as it was eight years ago [] and as an understanding of the issues has increased and deepened, so has the challenge of responding."

ILO SAYS MILLIONS OF UKRAINIANS WORK WITHOUT PAY

Ten years after their country gain independence, millions of Ukrainian workers continue to work without pay, according to a new survey by the International Labour Organization (ILO) of more than 1,800 factories.

The ILO reports that many workers are put on "administrative leave" for many months, or are uncompensated despite showing up for work. At the same time, the ILO survey of Ukraine shows that one out of every seven workers faces "very unsafe" labor conditions, while two out of every five workers hasn't received any pay over the previous three months. Employment has shrunk by one-third since 1991, the survey finds.

The survey has also found another unique feature to Ukraine's economy: women account for a majority of all those who are employed.

UN MISSION IN KOSOVO RATIONS FUEL FOLLOWING CLOSURE AT BLACE

The Blace border crossing between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Kosovo remains blocked by demonstrators on the FYROM side for the sixth straight day, forcing the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to ration fuel.

As a consequence of the blocking, which the Mission has called "unacceptable," the number of daily returns of FYROM refugees from Kosovo remains low. An estimated 53,000 FYROM refugees remain within Kosovo, while another 60,000 people are estimated to have been displaced within FYROM itself.

WHO TEAM TO VISIT IRAQ NEXT WEEK TO PREPARE FOR STUDY

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that an eight-member team will visit Iraq from August 27-31 to complete preliminary work for a study on non-communicable diseases and congenital malformations. The study will look at a potential link between environmental and other factors and any increase in these diseases, in particular cancer and kidney disease.

In response to a question asking if this mission had been requested recently by the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the UN, the Spokesman said this investigation had been requested in a letter from Baghdad at the beginning of this year.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Office for the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today named actress Angelina Jolie as Goodwill Ambassador. High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers said, "She can help give a voice to refugees, many of whom live in the shadows of forgotten tragedies." Since March, Jolie has visited refugee camps in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cambodia and Pakistan.

Today is the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, as designated by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). August 23 was chosen in commemoration of the Bois-Cayman insurrection which took place on this day in Haiti in 1791. That event is considered by UNESCO as a historic factor in originating the process which led to abolition of slavery. UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura issued a message to mark the occasion.

Another 2,300 Afghans were repatriated home last week, according to the weekly UN update published today, bringing the number of refugees who have returned since the UN High Commissioner for Refugee's (UNHCR) voluntary repatriation program began six weeks ago to nearly 11,000. Convoys leave four times a week from Pakistan to relatively stable destinations in southern, central and eastern Afghanistan, and all convoys are escorted by UNHCR.

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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