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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-05-17United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSFriday, May 17, 1996This document is prepared by the Central News Section of the Department of Public Information and is updated every week-day at approximately 6:00 PM. HEADLINES
The United Nations, even with its vast experience and unmatched global network, cannot take on all the world's problems by itself, Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has said. In a statement to the Council of Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Moscow, Dr. Boutros-Ghali said decentralization and delegation would be required and the role of the CIS is even more important. The Secretary-General said he has strongly and consistently encouraged much closer cooperation and coordination between regional organizations and arrangements and the United Nations, particularly with regard to preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peace-keeping. "The increasing demands being placed on the United Nations, at a time when its financial base is shrinking, make such cooperation essential", he added. He said that the specific operations in which the UN and the CIS had cooperated could serve as a model for positive international endeavour. He pointed out examples of cooperation between the CIS and the UN, including the CIS peace-keeping force in Abkhazia, Republic of Georgia, which had cooperated with the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG). The Secretary-General noted that among its members, the CIS includes most important European and Asian countries and that, in 1994, the UN General Assembly had invited the CIS to participate in the sessions and work of the Assembly in the capacity of observer; "a significant milestone in fostering closer cooperation at all levels between your organization and the United Nations", he added. He said that vital as peacekeeping and diplomacy were, cooperation between the CIS and the UN should not be confined to those issues but reach beyond them "to address the major economic and social problems of our time". Many of those problems were global in scale, Dr. Boutros-Ghali said. This was the Secretary-General's first address to the Heads of State of the Commonwealth of Independent states. The Secretary-General later held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, during which the Secretary- General thanked Mr. Kuchma for his country's contribution to UN peacekeeping operations. Dr. Boutros-Ghali also met the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmonov and they had an in-depth review of the situation in Tajikistan. The Secretary-General continues to seek Member States' guidance on which mandates could be terminated to release funds to accommodate new mandates within the 1996-1997 budget's existing resources, Joseph E. Connor, Under- Secretary-General for Administration and Management told the Administrative and Budgetary (Fifth) Committee. He was introducing the Secretary-General's report on the implications of the new mandates that might be granted by the General Assembly. He noted that the new mandates could cost $51 million in 1996 and $69 million in 1997 and said they were being considered in the context of the Secretary-General's initial reduction of $98 million from the budget and his attempts to slash another $154 million from it. While much had been achieved, more was now being sought, he added. Speaking on behalf of the European Union, the representative of Italy, Bernardo Mancini, said the principle of full implementation of the mandated activities which ensured equitable and non-selective treatment of all budget sections was of great importance to the European Union. The Committee on Natural Resources has recommended that the Economic and Social Council urge governments to consider establishing pilot projects aimed at averting water crises in endangered river basins and regions. In the area of minerals, the Council would also endorse the need for a geochemical database, a global knowledge base and authoritative assessment and dissemination of information on technological progress related to the sustainable extraction and use of mineral water. In order to develop a geochemical database, the Committee recommended cooperation and consultation between organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) with national agencies. It also recommended consultation between the Organizations and the United Nations Secretariat with regional commissions and the international mining industry. Some 20,000 participants from 184 countries are expected at the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June. Yigit Guloksuz, Chairman of Turkey's Housing Development Administration, says preparations for the final global Summit of the Twentieth Century, are complete. The goal of Habitat II is to ensure the sustainable future of the world's cities by inspiring action through the sharing of knowledge and expertise. A "high-level segment" from 12 to 14 June will provide a forum for world leaders to make commitments on actions to make cities, towns and villages in their countries healthy, safe, just and sustainable. Countries agree that partnerships among different "actors" are vital in finding solutions to many urban problems. Therefore, at the Conference, local governments, the private sector, community organizations, the academic community and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) will actively participate. Mayors from cities and towns around the world are expected to provide valuable input to the discussions concerning the growing responsibilities of municipalities in an era of decentralized government and diminished resources. The seventh meeting of Ministers of Education from Latin America and the Caribbean which ended today in Kingston, Jamaica, reaffirmed the region's commitment to the role of education in promoting democracy, development and a culture of peace. The Ministers stressed the importance of national consensus to guarantee the widest possible participation in the development and implementation of education strategies. The Conference, organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), emphasized that school curricula must include teaching the values of tolerance, understanding and acceptance of differences, cooperation, mutual respect and the peaceful solution of conflicts. The authorities in Sierra Leone have returned over a hundred and forty Liberian refugees on board the ship they arrived on, according to a UN Spokesman. The refugees were allowed to disembark for about 11 hours before being put back. They have also been refused asylum, the Spokesman said. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has written to the President of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, requesting that asylum be granted to those refugees who qualify. The Office of the UNHCR has offered to help in the screening of the refugees. For information purposes only - - not an official record From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgUnited Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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