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Friday, 22 November 2024
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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-07-18United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSThursday, July 18, 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
United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali was deeply saddened to learn of the tragedy of TWA Flight 800, UN Spokesman Sylvana Foa said today. The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, she added. "People and their needs must be placed firmly at the centre of all our development efforts", said United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali, recalling the decision of the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, two years ago. Dr. Boutros-Ghali was presenting the 1996 United Nations Population Award to the winners, Leticia Ramos Shahani of the Philippines and Pathfinders, a United States-based non- governmental organization. The Secretary-General stated that the importance of addressing population issues could not be overemphasized. He pointed out that recent global conferences in Copenhagen, Beijing and Istanbul have all helped to keep the important message of people-centred development at the forefront of international debate. The United Nations has been instrumental in forging a new world consensus around these issues and the Organization would continue to ensure that the needs of people in the developing world remained high on the international agenda, he added. The Secretary-General and his Special Advisor, Chinmaya Gharekhan, today met with Iraqi Ambassador Abdel Amir Al-Anbari, according to UN Spokesman Sylvana Foa. During the meeting, Mr. Gharekhan handed the Ambassador a letter approving the Iraqi distribution plan under resolution 986. The Secretary-General is happy that the distribution plan has been accepted and is in conformity with the Memorandum of Understanding of 20 May, Ms. Foa said. He hopes this will create a new momentum for the speedy implementation of the food-for-oil formula, she added. The Secretary-General has met with Executive Secretaries of the Regional Commissions and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ayala Lasso, a UN Spokesman said today. The discussions centred on the need for the Commissions to take a more comprehensive approach, taking into account the social dimension of their work instead of limiting themselves to the economic dimension only, Ms. Foa said. The High Commissioner for Human Rights pointed out that "the right to development is a human right". Promotion of human rights and sustainable development were essential to peace and security, Ms. foa noted. The United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF) has received further threats, according to UN Spokesman, Sylvana Foa. The Mayor of Oglejvik, Republika Srpska, has threatened military action against anyone from the international community who tried to arrest Karadzic and Mladic, she added. Ms. Foa said senior IFOR Commanders have assured IPTF Commissioner, Peter Fitzgerald, of IFOR assistance in case of emergency. The Secretary-General also met with members of "Friends of Rapid Reaction", a group formed last fall, according to the UN Spokesman. Co- Chaired by Canada and the Netherlands, the group is working on an initiative to enhance the United Nations' capacity to deploy quickly in a crisis. According to the Spokesman, the discussions of the group have resulted in a specific proposal to develop, within the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, a small operational headquarters to help plan missions. The group has also offered to loan or second to the UN Secretariat, staff to man the mini headquarters, she added. Disaster reduction measures should be completely integrated into sustainable development programmes, several speakers have told the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as it continued consideration of matters related to the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction as part of its general segment. After the discussion on the Natural Disaster Reduction Decade, the Council took note of the Secretary-General's report on that topic. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi paints a dark picture of an intolerable situation in that country, according to UN Spokesman Sylvana Foa. Mr. Pinheiro, who has just returned from a mission in Burundi, says the international community "can't wait for something to happen in Burundi. There is a disaster already occurring under our very eyes". He urges the international community to exert pressure on the belligerents in that country in order to put an end to the spiralling violence. The Special Rapporteur says, "the victims in Burundi are counted today in the hundreds and in the thousands". He notes that the army has lost control of its soldiers on the ground and fighting rebels or armed groups, whose repeated attacks in most of the country are causing heavy casualties. Mr. Pinheiro states that "civilians - especially women, children and the elderly - are victims of an endless cycle of attacks and reprisals from armed groups and members of the armed forces". He emphasizes that "the international community can no longer tolerate the catastrophic evolution of the situation in Burundi". Corrections: The second headline in Wednesday's Highlights should have read: "Draft resolution on collaboration between UN system and Bretton Woods institutions introduced in Economic and Social Council". The second sentence of the third item should read: "Ambassador Ekeus complained that UNSCOM inspectors did not have full freedom of movement". 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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