United Nations Daily Highlights 96-07-08

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, July 8, 1996

HEADLINES

• Secretary-General outlines UN Special Initiative on Africa to African Heads of State and Government.
• International Court of Justice decides on legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons.
• Libya should refrain from violating Security Council resolution 748 (1992), Libya Sanctions Committee says.
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organisation for Migration seek funds for Commonwealth of Independent States programmes.
• UNAIDS Executive Director calls for boldness and audacity on HIV\AIDS.
• Algeria becomes 76th Member State to pay its assessed contribution to the UN.

Calling on the African leaders to strengthen institutional capacities, the Secretary-General outlined the expected benefits of the UN Special Initiative on Africa, noting that the programme would provide a new thrust to international efforts for the development of Africa. "I wish to reaffirm that the implementation of this Special Initiative is predicated on the solution of such fundamental problems as food security, the diversification of Africa's economy and access for African goods to foreign markets, and on the urgent settlement of the debt problem," Dr Boutros-Ghali said.

The Secretary-General lauded Africans for taking the lead in shaping a new rationale and framework for development cooperation. "In line with this approach, the UN has held crucial meetings in Africa, including the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) held in South Africa," the Secretary-General said.

Underlining the need for cooperation between the UN and the OAU, the Secretary-General emphasized existing areas of cooperation between the two organisations. "I particularly want to emphasize our cooperation in the field of preventive diplomacy, through the OAUs establishment, in 1993, of the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution and the participation of the OAU in peacekeeping operations," he said.

Noting that peace-keeping efforts should not come at the expense of long- term development, the Secretary-General said peace-keeping can be an important element in promoting a new momentum for development assistance and cooperation.

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General held discussions with various African Heads of State and Government, including a meeting with the OAU Secretary- General Salim Ahmed Salim.

The Court found that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, and in particular the principles and use of humanitarian law. However, in view of the current state of international law, and of the elements of facts at its disposal, the Court could not conclude definitively whether the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be lawful or unlawful in extreme circumstances of self-defence, in which the survival of a State would be at stake.

In outlining various legal requirements supporting its findings, the Court found that there is, in neither customary nor conventional international law, any specific authorisation of the threat or use of nuclear weapons.

It further found that there is in neither customary nor conventional international law any comprehensive and universal prohibition of the threat or use of nuclear weapons as such. "The threat or use of force by means of nuclear weapons that is contrary to Article 2, paragraph 4, of the UN Charter and that fails to meet all the requirements of Article 51, is unlawful," the Court said.

The Court noted that a threat or use of nuclear weapons should also be compatible with the requirements of the international law applicable in armed conflict particularly those of the principles and rules of international humanitarian law, as well as with specific obligations under treaties and other undertakings which expressly deal with nuclear weapons.

It concluded that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion, negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control.

The initial request for an Advisory Opinion on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons came from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN General Assembly. The Court, however, found that it was not able to give the advisory opinion requested by the WHO, since the request does not relate to a question which arises within the scope of activities of the WHO.

The Chairman of the Committee, established in terms of resolution 748 (1992) said the Committee decided that the flights on 22 and 23 June, in disregard of Security Council resolution 748 (1992), were serious violations of the resolution. "The Committee demands that Libya refrain from any further violations. If a further violation occurs, it will consider recommendations to the Security Council on ways to increase the effectiveness of the measures contained in resolution 748 (1992)," the Chairman said.

The projects are primarily aimed at helping local authorities and non- governmental agencies (NGOs) integrate vulnerable and often destitute refugees, internally displaced formerly deported persons and people forced to return to their ancestral homelands by conflicts in other CIS countries.

At present, many of these people are living under extremely precarious conditions in a social and legal vacuum with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. According to a joint statement by UNHCR and IOM at least 9 million people have moved to, within or between CIS countries since the late 1980s, as a result of conflicts, environmental disasters or a range of fears.

It is estimated that there is a $29.2 million critical shortfall in funding for ongoing programmes which pre-dated the CIS conference held recently, and according to UNHCR and IOM, operations for refugees and displaced people in the Caucasus and Central Asia are seriously under- funded.

Opening the XIth International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver, Mr Piot said the new combination of antiretroviral drugs are holding out new hope. "Prevention efforts too are paying off in a number of countries. In Australia, HIV levels have remained under 5% among injecting drug users and the rate of infection in homosexual men are low and stable," he said.

Calling for a shake-up of AIDS research priorities, Piot said most research today focuses on the industrialised world, and "ignoring the research needs of 90% of the epidemic is not just unethical, it is plain irrational."

Meanwhile, United States has made a partial payment for a prior year assessment in the amount of $68, 139,853. As of June 1996, outstanding assessed contributions to the UN totalled $2.6 billion. Of this amount, $0.9 billion was for the regular budget and $1.7 billion was for peace- keeping operations, the Spokesman said.

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

United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article