United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-04-11

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, 11 April 1997

HEADLINES

• United Nations Secretary-General welcomes the formation of the Government of National Unity and Reconciliation in Angola.
• Host Country Committee recommends that General Assembly considers issue of diplomatic parking.
• Non-Governmental Organisations highlight numerous violations of human rights around the world.
• A senior United Nations official stresses the need for additional investment to sustain capacity of peace-keeping operations.
• The Commission on Sustainable Development hears calls for the establishment of a global forest convention.

Addressing correspondents in Geneva on Friday, Mr. Annan said the formation of the new government was an important step forward, adding that there were still major tasks ahead including demobilization, formation of the national army and the police, demilitarization of some of the militia and the extension of the national administration throughout the territory.

On the question of the conflict in Zaire, Mr. Annan told correspondents that it was important that both the Alliance forces and the Government of Zaire maintain a united Zaire.

During his three-day visit to Geneva, Mr. Annan attended a meeting of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC). The Committee is made up of the heads of UN agencies and programmes and is the highest level coordination body in the United Nations system.

The Committee, among other things, is responsible for advising the host country on issues dealing with the implementation of the Headquarters Agreement between the United Nations and the United States.

It took the decision with the understanding that if the host country indicated in the coming week that there had been a deferral of the elements of the city programme which, according to the United Nations Legal Counsel, appeared not to be in compliance with international law, the Assembly would in turn defer its consideration of the matter.

Among the terms of the new parking plan was the provision that New York City would provide each mission with up to three parking spaces and a "hot line" to report unauthorised use of those spaces.

The plan allowed for suspension and possible towing of diplomatic vehicles with "scofflaw" status - one or more outstanding parking violations that had not been properly adjudicated for a period of 12 month or more.

The United Nations Legal Counsel had acknowledged the host country's right to establish parking regulations, but questioned the international legality of towing or other forms of fine enforcement for diplomatic personnel.

The NGOs charged various governments with offenses during the Commission's review of human rights abuses. Speakers repeatedly suggested that the Commission appoint a Special Rapporteur to investigate the situation in Nigeria.

Earlier, Special Rapporteurs on the human-rights situations in Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia, Equatorial Guinea and Cuba cited concerns over continued offenses.

In addition, Special Rapporteurs on extra-judicial executions and on the independence of the judiciary, who had investigated the situation in Nigeria, reported that executions by police and security forces were widespread and that the judicial system appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

A delegate of Nigeria told the Commission that events in that country had been deliberately misrepresented and exaggerated and that allegations of arbitrary detention, extra-judicial executions, torture and other abuses were unfounded.

In an address to the Special Committee for Peace-keeping Operations, Mr Miyet said that if the United Nations was to continue to develop and keep an experienced staff and if it was to sustain its hard-won capacity to meet the current and future demands of peace-keeping, additional investments were necessary.

He said relevant policies and procedures should be reviewed and brought into line with the special demands of field operations, adding that any new policies must be implemented with full transparency, in a disciplined manner and with adequate controls in place.

Reform, which included providing peace-keeping operations with a more secure financial basis, would result in a structure able to cope efficiently with demands, he said.

The Panel had the task of reaching consensus and formulating options to combat deforestation and promoting the sustainable development of forests, consistent with the Non-Legally-Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests. The Statement of Principle was adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) at the Rio Conference in 1992.

The Netherlands Minister, Margaretha de Boer, speaking on behalf of the European Union and Associated States, said such a convention could function as a framework for mobilising public and private resources, as well as technology transfer.

She stressed that while existing instruments covered elements of sustainable forest management, there were several gaps that a convention could fill. She expressed the hope that the world would have such a convention not later than the year 2000.

The Minister for Natural Resources of Canada, Anne McLellan, agreed and said her country was very concerned about the growing fragmentation of the international forest agenda and the absence of a permanent forum in which to discuss issues. Only a convention could give the world community legally binding commitments, sanctioned at the highest levels, she said.

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

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