United Nations Daily Highlights 96-08-02

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, August 2, 1996

HEADLINES

• UN is ready to assist the Somali people in all efforts to further national reconciliation, UN Secretary-General says.
• UNICEF says the rate of malnutrition among children under five years of age in Monrovia has doubled.
• United States calls on Disarmament Conference in Geneva to accept draft nuclear Test-Ban Treaty without changes.
• The efforts of a Working Group on the Financial Situation of the UN have helped improve payment patterns of assessed contributions, Working Group Co- Vice Chairmen say.
• UN Convention on the Law of the Sea appoints first 21 judges to serve on the International Tribunal.

"The UN remains ready to assist the Somali people in all efforts to further national reconciliation, and we hope that the Somali people who have suffered so much over the past five years will give peace a real chance and work together to end the conflict", the Spokesman said. She recalled that 136 UN peace-keepers died in Somalia, 99 of them in hostile action, and another 423 were wounded.

A nutritional survey, conducted in July on children 6-59 months old in shelters and communities in Monrovia, is showing a malnutrition rate of 15.3%, with 4.9% severely malnourished in Monrovia itself. "These preliminary results are showing that the severe malnutrition rate has more than doubled from 1.7% in December 1995. In the shelters for displaced persons, the malnutrition rate is 24.7%, with 7.1% severely malnourished," Mr. Fisher said.

The survey was carried out by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Liberian Health Ministry, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other International Humanitarian Health Organisations. The objective of the survey is to determine the rate of malnutrition as well as measles vaccination coverage for children under five years of age.

Addressing the 61-member disarmament forum as it pursued efforts to conclude a treaty in time to be opened for signature at the upcoming regular session of the General Assembly, the US delegate called on the Conference to approve the draft treaty before it without changes.

He said no one could guarantee a nuclear weapon-free world by a date certain if the Conference forwarded the treaty to the United Nations. "But all can fully understand that such a day will be long postponed, perhaps indefinitely, if after four decades of efforts we now falter in taking the step down that road", he added.

The Representative of Pakistan Munir Akram rejected calls that the draft treaty be accepted without changes. Noting that the text did not live up to the expectations of the world community, he said despite the serious shortcomings, a test-ban treaty would contribute significantly to restraining the further development of nuclear weapons.

Several speakers expressed regret at China's 29 July nuclear test explosion, but welcomed the Chinese Government's announcement that it was now observing a moratorium on nuclear weapon test.

In an update on the work of the Open Ended Working Groups of the General Assembly, the Co-Vice Chairmen of the Working Group on the Financial Situation of the UN, Annette des Iles of Trinidad and Tobago, and Ernst Suchariba of Austria said the efforts of the Working Group had helped maintain the pressure on governments, resulting in improved payment patterns of contributions this year as compared to last year.

Commending the countries who had made serious efforts and paid their dues this year, the Co-Vice Chairmen of the Working Group stated that there was no quick solution to the cash flow problems of the United Nations, even though payment performance may have improved. "An important development is that Member States and the public have an increased awareness of the seriousness of the situation", the Co-Vice Chairmen noted.

The Working Group reflected earlier comments of the Under-Secretary- General for Administration and Management, Joseph E. Connor who said the Organisation was at a zero balance relative to regular budget cash. Addressing correspondents following a meeting with the Security Council in July, Mr. Connor said the organisation has had to borrow from peace- keeping funds to meet its regular budget cash needs.

The update on the work of the Open Ended Working Groups of the General Assembly detailed progress of the Working Groups on the Financial situation of the UN; Strengthening of the UN System; the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council; the Ad Hoc Open Ended Working Group on An Agenda for Development and the Open ended Working Group on An Agenda for Peace.

The Working Groups, under the leadership of the President of the General Assembly, Professor Diogo Freitas do Amaral (Portugal), and representatives of member States have engaged in the process of reform of the UN in order to enable the Organisation to continue being the unifying assembly of World nations and a catalyst for further progress of humanity.

The Tribunal's 21 judges were chosen from a list of 33 candidates nominated by more than 35 States, during elections held Thursday. The Convention on the Law of the Sea requires States parties to settle their disputes on interpretation or application of the Convention by peaceful means.

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

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