United Nations Daily Highlights 96-06-21

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, June 21, 1996

HEADLINES

• We have confidence in the United Nations, German Foreign Minister says, as UN Secretary-General underscores the critical financial position.
• International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference adopts first International Convention on Homework.
• UNESCO names Human Rights activist Goodwill Ambassador for a Culture of Peace.
• Economic and Social Council to hold substantive session at Headquarters.
• Ministers to review global action on climate change.

Speaking at a dinner in his honour in Bonn, Germany, the Secretary- General said fifty years after its creation, the United Nations today stands at crucial crossroads: "We have to decide whether we need and whether we want a United Nations capable of meeting the challenges not only of the next century, but even of today."

The Secretary-General pointed out that over the last few years, the world community has demonstrated that it does want, and does need, the United Nations... "and yet at this very moment, the United Nations is being starved of the resources it needs to perform the essential tasks entrusted to it. The Organisation is now in a position where it has no capital and no reserve. It is in debt nearly one and a half billion dollars".

Commending Germany for being the first Member State to pay part of its contribution to the 1996 budget, the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for Germany's support for his efforts to use the budgetary process as a means of increasing the efficiency of the Organisation. "Even as peace-keeping and the United Nations financial crisis continue to grab the headlines, Germany has continued to pursue the goal of global development, with dynamism and resolve...and it concurs with the central mandate of the United Nations Development Programme, whose activities Germany has so diligently supported," Dr. Boutros-Ghali noted.

German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said Germany staunchly supports the United Nations. "There is no better organisation. The Charter of San Francisco is the great formative vision of this century, and it has lost none of its relevance... We have confidence in the United Nations. We are proud of our reliable commitment, also as a contributor."

The Foreign Minister said the United Nations is more important than ever, adding that a reformed United Nations Security Council, including important third world States, in addition to Germany and Japan would be well equipped to tackle the challenges ahead.

During his fifth official visit as Secretary-General to Germany, Dr. Boutros-Ghali inaugurated the Headquarters of the United Nations Volunteers, the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the new United Nations Information Centre. In his meeting with the German Foreign Minister, early this week, Dr. Boutros- Ghali discussed a number of areas in which the United Nations has played a role, including Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Nigeria.

They expressed concern regarding developments in the Great Lakes region of Africa, particularly in view of the deteriorating situation in Burundi. The Foreign Minister thanked the Secretary-General for his personal commitment to promote peace and reconciliation in that country. He also expressed Germany's support for the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa.

The Secretary-General also met the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Carl Dieter Spranger during which they reviewed the issue of development assistance and agreed on the need to find new approaches to that problem. The Secretary-General invited Mr Spranger to take part in a donors consultation on the Special Initiative on Africa, which will take place on 2 July in Geneva. In his discussions with the German Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Angela Merkel, the Secretary-General focussed on the follow-up to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Dr. Boutros-Ghali also had a 40-minute meeting with President Sam Nujoma of Namibia who was on an official visit to Germany. They discussed the situation in Africa, with a particular focus on Angola.

The 83rd International Labour Conference of the ILO held in Geneva also called on ILO member States to renew the struggle to achieve full employment and intensify the battle against child labour.

The Director-General of the ILO, Michel Hansenne, called attention to arguments for increased international efforts to humanise globalisation by reconciling the demands of social justice and economic competitiveness. He applauded the Conference delegates' decision to endorse the goal of full employment and derided those "who claim that technical progress can only result in growth without jobs or those who believe that the nature of work has changed to such a point that the concept of full employment has become obsolete."

The Director-General called for increased ratification and implementation of ILO standards, particularly fundamental human rights Conventions, and deplored "the often regrettable gap between the ratification of Conventions and their translation into acts".

Endorsing the concept of full employment, delegates noted that "the objective of full, productive and freely chosen employment through higher, sustained economic growth should remain a major goal of economic, social and employment policies as governments, employers and workers organisations adapt to a rapidly changing global market." The delegates also welcomed the increased involvement of the ILO in the fight against child labour, including the launching of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), increased technical cooperation and efforts to increase ratification and implementation of relevant ILO Conventions.

At a ceremony in Paris, attended by participants at the International Meeting of Amerindian Communities, that was chaired by Ms. Menchu Tum, UNESCO Director-General, Federico Mayor thanked the Nobel Laureate for her efforts on behalf of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples. "We are awarding you with this title in recognition of your dedication to the ideals and objectives of the Organisation," he noted.

Announcing that she would establish her work plan as Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. Menchu called on all nations to provide financial support for the rapid transformations experienced by indigenous societies. She hoped for the imminent signing of a peace accord that could end 36 years of war and allow for reconstruction in Guatemala.

Ms Menchu Tum, a Guatemalan who spent years of exile in Mexico, has travelled the world to call attention to the situation of indigenous peoples.

A major characteristic of the restructuring and revitalisation efforts in the economic and social fields has been to move away from a rigid towards a more flexible and action oriented format.

The substantive session starts on 24 June with the high-level policy dialogue on important developments in the world economy.

Attended by Ministers and senior officials from 150 countries, the meetings, known officially as the second session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-2) will also take stock of talks that would lead to stronger commitments for developed countries.

The agreed policies and measures will be used to achieve specific emissions reductions in all greenhouse gases by specific dates.

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

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