United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-04-14

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

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Monday, 14 April 1997

HEADLINES

• United Nations Secretary-General calls on Zairian parties to implement the five-point peace plan.
• World Food Programme's first consignment of food is scheduled to arrive in Albania on Tuesday.
• The training of peace-keeping personnel on their responsibilities towards women and children is extremely important, the Special Committee on Peace- keeping is told.
• There is a need to strengthen links among international conventions addressing bio-diversity, climate change and desertification, the Commission on Sustainable Development hears.
• Human Rights Committee recommends series of measures to promote implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in several countries.
• International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda starts its first joint trial.
• UNESCO offers assistance to rebuild Turin Cathedral in Italy.

The Secretary-General appealed on Monday to all Member States to press the leader of the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo/Zaire and his supporters in the Great Lakes region to seek a negotiated solution through a cease-fire and sustained talks on the future of Zaire.

He said he was encouraged that President Mobutu had agreed to a dialogue with the leader of the Alliance, Mr. Kabila, adding that a durable solution could not be achieved through military means.

"It is obvious that Zaire is on the verge of major political change; but this change has to be managed, with the support of the international community, in a concerted and focused manner. In such situations, progress is usually made when the entire international community comes together," Mr. Annan said.

The agency said the food will be distributed to 7,500 needy people in the capital of Tirana as well as in Shkoder, Durres, Kukes, Elbassan, Korce, Vlore and Srande. The shipment represents the first consignment of United Nations food aid to albania, since the recent civil unrest, it said.

Meanwhile, the WFP said it was assessing storage and distribution mechanisms which will soon allow the implementation of a larger food aid programme for destitute families countrywide.

The food will be targeted at institutions such as orphanages, homes for elderly and centres for handicapped as well as at destitute families affected by the collapse of the social welfare system, the WFP said.

Speaking also on behalf the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), he said that in six out of 12 country case studies prepared for the United Nations report on the impact of armed conflict on children, the arrival of peace-keeping troops was associated with a rapid rise in child prostitution.

While many factors contributed to the sexual exploitation of children, the most significant were the level of discipline among the peace-keeping personnel, the enforcement of standards of conduct, and the training, age, earnings and tradition of impunity with a particular regiment.

The representative of Japan said that an innovative approach to peace- keeping was urgently needed to ensure the viability of the peace- keeping capacity of the United Nations. He called on the Committee to review and discuss the formation of a group of like-minded countries to assist United Nations activities at an early stage.

Expressing concern over the United Nations practice of compensation to peace-keeping personnel, the representative of Bangladesh asked if the United Nations considered the lives of human beings to be cheaper in some countries than in others. He called for the urgent application of a uniform scale of compensation for death and disability.

Supporting that view, the representative of Fiji, stating that his country had been involved in United Nations peace-keeping operations since 1978, also called for improvement in the rate of reimbursement to troop- contributing States and for the standardisation of national peace- keeping training programmes in order to establish a uniform interpretation of the rules of engagement.

There was need for an integrated scientific assessment that took into account the links between global warming, desertification and species extinction, among other issues, he said, adding that the conventions and their secretariats needed efficient support and services.

Agreeing that progress in implementing Agenda 21 at the national level would only be achieved through sustainable cooperation between the bio- diversity related convention and the other conventions, the Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Calestus Juma emphasised the importance of setting targets and identifying key indicators of progress for the Convention on Biological Diversity.

During a three-week session which concluded last week, the Committee reviewed reports submitted by a number of countries on their compliance with the Covenant and engaged in a dialogue with their representatives. Specifically, the Committee reviewed the initial report of Georgia, the second periodic reports of Bolivia and Lebanon, the third report of Portugal, on Macau, and the fourth report of Columbia.

Drawing attention to the resumption of Chinese sovereignty over Macau in 1999, the Committee restated its position that "States continue to be bound by the obligations under the Covenant entered by the predecessor State".

Noting reports of the large number of women taken to Macau for prostitution, it urged the Government to impose sanctions on those who exploited them. It welcomed the abolition of the death penalty in Macau and recommended that efforts be accelerated to introduce the Chinese language in the courts at all levels.

Earlier, the Tribunal rejected the Prosecutor's motion proposing a superseding indictment severing the accused, Mr. Kayishemi and Mr. Ruzindana from their co-accused in the case, and consolidating the counts against them in the first amended indictment of 29 April 1996.

"UNESCO offers its full support and technical expertise in world heritage conservation to the government of Italy to restore this universal symbol of mankind's faith and creative talent," the Director- General said. He stated that the cathedral could be rebuilt through the effort and goodwill of people of all faiths throughout the world.

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

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