Browse through our Interesting Nodes on Social Issues in Greece Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923) Read the Convention Relating to the Regime of the Straits (24 July 1923)
HR-Net - Hellenic Resources Network Compact version
Today's Suggestion
Read The "Macedonian Question" (by Maria Nystazopoulou-Pelekidou)
HomeAbout HR-NetNewsWeb SitesDocumentsOnline HelpUsage InformationContact us
Friday, 29 March 2024
 
News
  Latest News (All)
     From Greece
     From Cyprus
     From Europe
     From Balkans
     From Turkey
     From USA
  Announcements
  World Press
  News Archives
Web Sites
  Hosted
  Mirrored
  Interesting Nodes
Documents
  Special Topics
  Treaties, Conventions
  Constitutions
  U.S. Agencies
  Cyprus Problem
  Other
Services
  Personal NewsPaper
  Greek Fonts
  Tools
  F.A.Q.
 

United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-03-03

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, 3 March 1997


This 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

  • UN Secretary-General meets with Preparatory Commission for the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; expresses optimism that United States, Russia and China will ratify Convention.
  • Former combatants of Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca expected to assemble at designated assembly points in Guatemala.
  • World Food Programme aid workers find Tingi-Tingi encampment empty; refugees moving farther west.
  • Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination to hold fiftieth session at Geneva, 3-21 March.
  • Debt burden and unequal terms of trade negatively affecting social programmes in developing countries, speakers tell Social Development Commission.
  • Commission on Population and Development concludes thirtieth session at Headquarters.
  • International Narcotics Control Board President says United States did not press international board to delay drug report.
  • UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina enhances children's activities.
  • UN Environment Programme to honour 25 women in conjunction with its 25th anniversary and International Women's Day.


UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today met with the Preparatory Commission for the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, the Netherlands, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General Juan Carlos Brandt said. Mr. Annan expressed his optimism that the three Permanent Members that have not yet ratified the Convention -- the United States, the Russian Federation and China -- would eventually do so, before the Convention comes into effect on 29 April.

In a meeting with the judges and members of the International Tribunal for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Secretary-General discussed the work of the Tribunal and its financial problems, the Spokesman noted, adding that the members of the Tribunal appealed for greater understanding from the management in New York.

Earlier, in Paris, Mr. Annan met with Ambassador Mohamed Sahnoun, the United Nations/Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region. Mr. Sahnoun later told the press that he was optimistic that negotiations for a ceasefire could succeed, but not immediately.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary-General and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director-General Federico Mayor stressed the need for continued reform and greater efficiency, coherence and coordination of the UN system to "give a better product" to its Member States, during a meeting held at UNESCO Headquarters.

"All of us have to reform to put the United Nations in a situation where it can be leaner, more efficient, more effective and more relevant in adapting to the difficult tasks that we have ahead," Mr. Annan said, in his second meeting with Mr. Mayor since assuming the head of the United Nations this year. He called for "pooling our efforts in a constructive manner so that at the end of the day, we make a greater impact on the ground and give a better product to our Member States."

Mr. Mayor said UNESCO was working successfully with other UN agencies in the field. The Secretary-General agreed that improved efficiency in the United Nations would result from greater interagency cooperation at all levels.


Former combatants of the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) were expected to assemble today at the designated assembly points in Guatemala, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General Juan Carlos Brandt said. However, some assembly points, which were not completely ready, were expected to be prepared within a week.

All the necessary UN military observers were in place to observe the transition, according to the Spokesman. He said there were now 149 military observers, out of the authorised strength of 155 for the UN Mission for the Verification of Human Rights in Guatemala (MINUGUA). The transition would take two months to be completed, the Spokesman added.


World Food Programme (WFP) aid workers flying over the Tingi-Tingi encampment on 2 March found it empty, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary- General, Juan Carlos Brandt said today. Refugees and internally displaced persons were moving farther west and had started to arrive in Kisangani, while large groups of refugees from Kalima and Kindu were arriving in Punia, he noted.

The Spokesman pointed out that WFP was able to airlift 6 metric tons of food to Punia. He added that 57 United Nations personnel and aid workers were evacuated on 1 March from Kisangani to Kinshasa, out of security concerns that they would be under threat by the war activity taking place there.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Sadako Ogata has expressed her distress that aid workers were forced to leave the Tingi- Tingi camp at a time when they had just completed arrangements to fly out the first group of orphaned refugees to Rwanda, the Spokesman said.

"I appeal once again to the combatants to spare the refugees, the women and the children, who have already suffered so much," Ms. Ogata said. "We would like to continue to deliver much needed relief to the refugees. Unfortunately, we will not be able to do so unless humanitarian workers are allowed to operate in safety."


Efforts to battle racism in 39 countries will be reviewed by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which is meeting in Geneva for its fiftieth session, from 3 to 21 March. The 18-member Committee is the oldest of a series of expert panels established to review compliance by States ratifying or acceding to international human rights agreements.

Algeria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Guatemala, Iceland, Iraq, Luxembourg, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Swaziland and the United Kingdom have submitted periodic reports on their efforts to put into effect the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Committee has also scheduled for discussion situations in 21 countries whose reports are termed "excessively" overdue.

Burundi, Rwanda and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), along with three other countries -- Liberia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -- also will be considered under the Committee's procedure for early warning and urgent situations.


The social programmes of developing countries had been placed under great pressure by structural adjustment programmes, debt burdens, unequal terms of trade and the unilateral nature of world-wide decision-making, the Commission for Social Development was told as it concluded discussion of the follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development.

The representative of Bangladesh, Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, said that informal businesses and micro-enterprises had demonstrated their viability in creating employment throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. He told the Commission that the experience of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh had demonstrated the viability of micro-credit mechanisms in eradicating poverty and creating employment.


As it concluded its five-day session, the Commission on Population and Development adopted an orally amended report for the session and a provisional agenda for its 1998 session, which would have the theme "health and mortality, with special emphasis on the linkages between health and development and on gender and age."

During its current session, Commission members stressed the need for more reliable data on migration, the direction of migrant flows and the characteristics of migrants. The necessity of analysing data at an early stage, so the international community could design effective migration policies, was also highlighted.

The Commission also requested the Chairperson of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) Task Force on Basic Social Services for All to make every effort to raise the necessary extrabudgetary resources to prepare and hold a technical symposium of experts on international migration in 1998.


The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) was neither pressured nor requested by the United States to delay release of its annual report on the world drug situation, the President of the Board announced. Oskar Schroeder said that published rumors that the Board had postponed the release of its report to avoid contradicting Washington on Colombia's drug control record were "totally false."

The Board, Mr. Schroeder said, was "scrupulously free of government influence and is not even controlled by the United Nations." Its 13 members serve as independent experts, and their conclusions on countries' strengths and weaknesses on implementation of international drug control treaties were regarded as impartial.

The report in question, which presented the Board's findings and views on drug control in 1996, is due for release on 4 March.


The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Kai Eide, and the UN Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) staff gave a send-off to five children, two from the Republika Srpska and three from the Federation, who were on their way to EuroDisney as part of a series of activities involving the children of Bosnia stemming from UNMIBH 1996 UN Day celebration, Associate Spokesman for the Secretary-General Juan Carlos Brandt said today.

UN staff had donated over DM 60,000 in October, which allowed UNMIBH to sponsor a film festival and live performances by local actors, the Spokesman noted, adding that UNMIBH would target additional funds to improve the five orphanages and children's hospitals in Bosnia.


The UN Environment Programme will host an international event entitled UNEP's 25th Anniversary: "Eyes on the Environment -- 25 Women Leaders in Action," at United Nations Headquarters on 6 March. UNEP has chosen its 25th anniversary and the International Women's Day to honour 25 contemporary women from around the world who, through their personal efforts and achievements, serve as inspiration for all towards informed and responsible actions for the protection of the planet.

"Because of their special responsibilities as custodians of our natural resources, women have developed unique skills and insights on environmental issues," said Elizabeth Dowdeswell, UNEP's Executive Director. "In most parts of the world they are the first to notice environmental degradation and the first to suffer from it. But women are also agents of change and the key to achieving sustainable development."

The 25 honorees include many UNEP Global 500 award winners and come from every continent. They range from a queen to community activists; from a former Prime Minister to international entertainers; from local and national government officials to leaders of industry; from scientists and professors to noted commentators on environment and development issues; and from the head of an international agency to leaders of international non- governmental groups.


For information purposes only - - not an official record

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


United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Back to Top
Copyright © 1995-2023 HR-Net (Hellenic Resources Network). An HRI Project.
All Rights Reserved.

HTML by the HR-Net Group / Hellenic Resources Institute, Inc.
undh2html v1.01 run on Tuesday, 4 March 1997 - 1:15:09 UTC