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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-06-06United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSThursday, June 6, 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
Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali in Istanbul today had an extensive review of all aspects of the Cyprus problem with Mr. Rauf Denktash, leader of the Turkish Cypriot community. He is scheduled to meet with President Glafkos Clerides of Cyprus, in Geneva, on 11 June, according to a UN Radio report from Istanbul. "The Secretary-General hopes the meetings will create the basis for the two leaders of the two communities in Cyprus to resume direct talks", UN Spokesman Sylvana Foa said. He had called on the two sides to cooperate with the newly-appointed Special Representative for Cyprus, Professor Han Sung-Joo and the Deputy Special Representative, Gustave Feissel, so as to create a new momentum for a favourable and peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem, she added. The Secretary-General had also met with the Turkish Foreign Minister and they had reviewed relations between the United Nations and Turkey. They also talked about the Memorandum of Understanding with Iraq and how the sanctions against Iraq had also affected Turkey. Delegates called for adequate attention to be given to the needs of women in formulating housing policies, as the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) Conference continued in Istanbul, Turkey, according to a UN Radio report. The representative of Venezuela said that housing which is the place for the family was crucial. The President of the Venezuelan Council for National Housing, Miguel Rojas Naranjo, added that the development of housing should enable populations to maintain responsibility for managing their own destinies. Meanwhile, the co-founder of Women, Environment and Development, a non- governmental organization, Ms. Bella Abzug of the United States, said "Women should not be forced to become homeless when they flee from a battering husband or abusive relatives". Ms. Abzug went on to say that equitable human settlements would be an elusive goal until women were truly free and equal. "We must ensure equality", she urged. The Irish Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, Ms. Liz McManus, stressed that the challenge of true sustainability which the conference presented was a complex one. Pointing to the increasing phenomenon of women-headed homes, she said the mechanisms governing the private and social housing sectors should both involve women and respond to their needs. Speakers also expressed the general view that the actions of the rural poor can determine the fate of cities, especially in developing countries. They stressed that adequate attention should be given to the relationship between the needs of rural dwellers and the problems of urban centres, the UN Radio report stated. An appeal for $43,632,935 for humanitarian assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has been addressed to Member States by the Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Yasushi Akashi. The major portion of the money, almost $27 million, would be used for food aid, Mr. Akashi said. Recovery of arable lands and restoration of basic health services would be allocated over $10 million and nearly $6 million, respectively. Additionally, $566,000 would be used to ensure adequate monitoring and reporting procedures, he added. Director-General Federico Mayor of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) the United Nations Organization that best incarnates the values of solidarity and respect for the human person. UNHCR and its High Commissioner, Sadako Ogata, yesterday received UNESCO's 1995 Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize in a ceremony at the Organization's Headquarters in Paris. Mr. Mayor lauded UNHCR for its "devotion and efficacy in alleviating the suffering of civilian populations forced to seek refuge outside their country". He praised the High Commissioner for her "passionate concern for relieving human misery and realistic approach" in her efforts to realize that objective. He presented a gold medal and a check for FF400,000 to both the Office and Ms. Ogata. Collective security could not be lastingly ensured if it were not based on guaranteeing the security of individuals beyond that of the security of states, said Ms. Ogata. That meant "the right of each human being to live at home in peace and to enjoy certain fundamental rights", she added. UNHCR High Commissioner Sadako Ogata said she would use the prize money to create a special education fund for refugee children in Africa. The Special Envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Soren Jessen-Petersen, paid one of his regular visits to the region of Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium yesterday, according to a UN Radio report from Zagreb. The report recalls that according to UN Security Council resolution 1037 (1996) and the relevant Basic Agreement, the UNHCR had one of the most important tasks in the region. Besides providing humanitarian assistance, it would be responsible for "voluntary and safe return of refugees and displaced people to their home of origin". During his visit, Soren Jessen-Petersen met with senior officials of the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) and was briefed on the progress of the UNTAES mission. To provide authoritative and independent peer-review of the scientific literature and undertake other relevant actions aimed at assessing the health and environmental effects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMF), the World Health Organization has launched an international project tentatively scheduled to last five years. Conflict between health and environmental concerns and technological progress has been hindering progress in the area, according to WHO. Cities, by concentrating people, increase the possibilities for transmission of infectious diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Disease-causing agents proliferate where there is inadequate provision of water, sanitation, and garbage, the Organization adds. WHO notes that contrary to the belief of health specialists twenty years ago, that public health measures would soon reduce the importance of infectious diseases, "today they remain the world's leading cause of death, killing at least 17 million people a year". Thirty previously unknown diseases have emerged since 1973. In addition, infectious diseases such as yellow fever and epidemic cholera, previously considered under control, have re-emerged. Among the factors leading to the phenomena WHO cites the ability of many agents of infectious diseases to develop resistance to the drugs that previously killed them; the concentration in towns of large numbers of vulnerable groups such as older people and persons with HIV; environmental health hazards such as unsafe drinking water and improper excreta disposal as well as gender inequality and poverty. The Habitat II Agenda would soon benefit from a new Internet service that will facilitate collaboration between private and public- sectors organisations to further the Habitat II agenda and identify opportunities for community building and information exchange. Announcing the new service, Livelink Commons, Dr. Wally N'Dow, Secretary- General, UN Habitat II Conference, said the project creates a combined force needed to develop new solutions for healthy sustainable communities. "I am very gratified to see such a strong private and public sector partnership using information technology to continue the Habitat II process through time and across boundaries," Dr. N'Dow said. An Internet software and service provider will create Livelink Commons for use on the World Wide Web together with the Business Coalition for Sustainable Cities, the World Business Forum and several non-governmental organisations. Livelink Commons is the first Internet service designed to bring corporations, public sector organisations, and individuals together to do business at the intersection of their common interest, according to William Lurie, chairman, Business Coalition for Sustainable Cities. 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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