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3 April, 2004
 

Table Of Contents

Secretary-General Submits Final Settlement Plan For Cyprus Referenda 1

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 31 March submitted to Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders his final plan to settle the Cyprus problem before its entry into the European Union on 1 May, urging them to "seize this chance for peace" in a reunified nation. On 29 March he gave them a draft of his plan and received their reactions on 30 March.

Mr. Annan stepped in to complete the blueprint that will be voted on by the Greek and Turkish Cypriots after six weeks of negotiations failed to broker an agreement. The 9,000-page text containing the basic settlement plan _ which calls for a federal government composed of two constituent states both largely running their own affairs _ as well as legal formulas and other annexes, will now be put to ballot in separate, simultaneous referenda on 24 April, four days later than planned.

Speaking at the closing of a week of talks in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, the Secretary-General stressed that the United Nations strived to accommodate the concerns of both sides in order to create a "win-win" situation.

The agreement caps more than 40 years of United Nations involvement in the Cyprus problem. Since last month, the Greek Cypriot leader, Tassos Papadopoulos, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, held negotiations in Cyprus on the basis of Mr. Annan's much-revised plan.

After the talks moved last week to Switzerland, officials from Greece and Turkey, joined early this week by Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, were on hand to lend a final push in the discussions.

Addressing both sides, the Secretary-General said he had written to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders outlining the procedures for the referenda. "The time has come for you, the leaders, and for voters in both communities to assess what is before them as an overall package" in the lead-up to the balloting.

"There have been too many missed opportunities in the past. For the sake of all of you, I urge you not to make the same mistake again," he said. "Let us seize this chance for peace in a United Cyprus Republic."

 

Panel Finds Senior UN Officials Lax About Mission's Security In Iraq; S-G Announces Disciplinary Measures 2

An independent investigation into responsibility for security failures in the
lead-up to the deadly bombing of United Nations offices in Iraq last year found senior UN officials in charge of staff safety were lax in carrying out their duties and "blinded" by the belief that the world body would not come under attack despite warnings to the contrary.

Reacting to the panel's findings on 29 March, a spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced a series of disciplinary measures, including calls for the resignation of some of the officials, and said in a statement that Mr. Annan "regretted the failures identified by the Panel."

The Secretary-General also "expressed his determination to take all corrective measures, within his authority, to enhance the safety and security of all UN staff, especially those deployed in dangerous conflict areas," spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

In a summary of its findings released on 29 March, the Panel noted that no prior security assessment mission was sent to Iraq before the first humanitarian staff returned to Baghdad on 1 May 2003, or before the decision was taken to send staff from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad by road rather than by air, contrary to UN practices and procedures.

The Panel also concluded that at the executive level at UN Headquarters in New York, the Steering Group on Iraq (SGI), chaired by Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, lacked "due care and diligence" in the manner in which it dealt with the circumstances of the return to Baghdad. It should have asked some searching questions about the security aspects of the proposed return plan.

Among its other findings, the Panel said:

* No comprehensive, docu- mented review was undertaken of the security requirements at the UN headquarters in Baghdad following the return of UN staff on 1 May;

* The UN Security Coordinator, Tun Myat, the Designated Official, Ramiro Lopes da Silva, and his Security Management Team in Baghdad, "appeared to be blinded by a conviction that UN personnel and installations would not become a target of attack, despite the clear warnings to the contrary;" and 

* There was a conflict between information received from UN and from United States military sources as to whether requests were made by senior UN staff in Baghdad to vacate US military personnel and equipment from critical positions around the UN offices at the Canal Hotel before the 19 August attack.

The Panel also found that UN officials did not demonstrate any serious intention to procure and install blast-resistant film for the entire Canal Hotel, which might have prevented many of the injuries suffered from flying glass shards. They "displayed a profound lack of responsibility and ineptitude in the manner they sought to implement the request for installation of the film," the Panel said. "Their combined response to the issue indicates a lethargy that is bordering on gross negligence."

Mr. Annan established the Security in Iraq Accountability Panel late last year to carry out an independent probe into the responsibilities of all individuals and UN entities involved in the security of the UN operation in Iraq, which might have prevented or mitigated the effect of the 19 August attack, or diminished the loss of life and injury to UN personnel. The panel focused in particular on the actions or omissions of the UN headquarters in Baghdad and its staff.

The blast destroyed the UN offices, killing 22 people, including Mr. Annan's top envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and injuring more than 100 others. A second, smaller attack in September prompted the Secretary-General to eventually withdraw all international UN personnel.

The Panel was Chaired by Gerald Walzer, a former Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees; Sinha Basnayake, former Director of the General Legal Division of the UN Office of Legal Affairs; Kevin Carty, Assistant Commissioner of National Police of Ireland; and Stuart Groves, Senior Security Manager and Security Focal Point in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

***

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 29 March announced a series of disciplinary measures, including calls for the resignation of senior UN officials, following the release of a critical report by a panel that identified institutional and individual failures in assessing the security situation in Baghdad prior to the terrorist attack last August that killed 22 people, including the UN's top envoy in Iraq.

The official in charge of overall staff security, Security Coordinator Tun Myat, was asked to resign from the United Nations, while Ramiro Lopes da Silva, his proxy on the ground in Iraq, known as the Designated Official, was asked to immediately step down from his current post as an Assistant Secretary-General in the United Nations and return to his senior post in the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Future assignments for Mr. Lopes da Silva, who also served as the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, will no longer include any responsibilities for security matters, a spokesman for Mr. Annan said in making the announcements on the disciplinary measures.

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, who chaired the SGI, tendered her resignation to Mr. Annan after the panel's findings were made known.

Mr. Annan declined to accept it, spokesman Fred Eckhard said, "taking into account the collective nature of the failures attributable" to the SGI as a whole. A letter addressed to Ms. Fréchette, in her capacity as SGI Chair, and shared with all members of the Steering Group, "expressed the Secretary-General's disappointment and regret with regard to the failures identified by the panel which are attributable to the SGI," the spokesman said.

 

Brahimi Heading To Iraq Soon 3

With a United Nations electoral team already in Iraq surveying the possibility of holding direct elections by the end of January, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, is expected to head to the country soon, a UN spokesperson said on 30 March.

The technical team, headed by Carina Perelli, Chief of the UN's Electoral Assistance Division, is in Iraq to assess what needs to be done in order to hold credible elections by 31 January 2005.

The mission will also identify what mechanisms and electoral modalities will make implementing these tasks feasible by that date, and determine the appropriateness and degree to which the United Nations can assist in the implementation of these electoral tasks.

Asked about whether security assessments would allow UN staff to return to Iraq, spokesperson Marie Okabe said that before UN teams arrive in the country, security assessments are made. Any large-scale return of UN staff, she added, would depend on further security assessments.

 

S-G Urges Myanmar To Allow Broadest Participation In Constitutional Convention  4

With Myanmar announcing that it will convene a national convention to draft a new constitution, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 31 March urged the government to lift restrictions on democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and to allow the broadest participation possible.

A statement issued by a spokesperson for Mr. Annan said the Secretary-General believes that the national convention on 17 May should be all-inclusive for it to be credible. "He thus urges the Government of Myanmar to lift the remaining restrictions on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her senior colleagues in the National League for Democracy (NLD) as soon as possible, and allow the party to participate in the 

preparations for the reconvening of the National Convention, together with other political parties and ethnic nationality groups," Marie Okabe said.

Mr. Annan also hopes that in order to make themselves ready for the convention all the representatives will be permitted to meet freely together and to conduct peaceful political activities, Ms. Okabe added.

"The Secretary-General believes that the convening of a credible national convention involving all political parties and ethnic groups would mark the beginning of a new phase in Myanmar's political evolution and would result in positive responses from the international community," the statement said.

 

Upcoming Elections Must Be Safe And Free, S-G Tells Afghanistan Conference 5

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared to the opening of an international conference on Afghanistan on 31 March that this year's presidential and parliamentary elections will only advance national reconciliation if political parties and candidates can campaign openly and polling can take place safely.

In a message delivered by Lakhdar Brahimi, his Special Adviser and former envoy for Afghanistan, the Secretary-General said "the magnitude of the election task is enormous," but added that a successful election held the promise of a fully representative government _ "a decisive step in the democratic transition."

To achieve this, Afghan political parties and candidates deserve more political freedoms, he said, such as the ability to campaign openly and safely, and the right to communicate through the media.

Mr. Annan told the conference, being held in Berlin, that improved security is also vital to ensure that both polling _ scheduled now for September _ and voter registration can occur in a safe and balanced way.

He said Afghans, regardless of their ethnic or political background, want all factions to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate. "This will be essential in order to clear the political arena of all factional militaries and to allow for political party activity to be carried out in accordance with the new constitution."

The Secretary-General's speech was one of several key addresses to the two-day summit, where Afghanistan's leaders, including President Hamid Karzai, are holding talks with the international community and seeking nearly $28 billions in financial support to help with the country's reconstruction.

In December 2001, shortly after the fall of the Taliban regime, a similar conference in Bonn mapped out the timetable for Afghanistan's transition to a stable, functioning democracy.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative (SRSG) for Afghanistan, Jean Arnault, told the conference that the increasing numbers of Afghans who have registered to vote in this year's elections shows there is a tangible momentum away from scepticism and towards political participation.

Mr. Arnault said he was also heartened that the percentage of voters who are women has risen from 14 per cent three months ago to 28 per cent today, and that registration is taking place _ so far confined to major cities only _ across the large and ethnically diverse country.

The SRSG said the UN welcomed recent moves towards granting Afghans greater political freedoms, including the right of freedom of organization and expression, and instructing civil servants and military personnel to remain politically impartial.

But Mr. Arnault warned that the recent outbreak of deadly violence in the western city of Herat, once considered relatively stable, highlighted how important it is that rival factions are disarmed. The vast majority of Afghans know there can be no election without disarmament, he said.

"Afghans are determined not to maintain the status quo, but to put the past, the decades of war, lawlessness and the rule of the gun, behind them," Mr. Arnault said. "And they would resent nothing more than the prospect of an election tainted by interference, intimidation, corruption or violence."

Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), told the conference that already about $4.7 billion has been disbursed by international donors since a previous conference in Tokyo just over two years ago.

He said money is flowing into Afghanistan through government institutions and multilateral organizations, and trust is developing between them so that valuable long-standing relationships are being formed.

But Mr. Malloch Brown said there was still a lot of scope for greater involvement in UN or Afghan Government projects in education, health, refugee resettlement, security, community development and rural improvements.

 

UN Mission To Remain In Afghanistan Another Year, Security Council Decides 6

Renewing the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by another 12 months, the Security Council on 26 March stressed the importance of extending central authority across the whole country and disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating all armed factions.

By unanimous agreement, the Council adopted a resolution continuing the work of UNAMA, which has been in place since March 2002, until at least this time next year.

The Council acted in response to a recommendation by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, whose latest report on Afghanistan calls for the extension in order to consolidate gains achieved so far.

By the resolution, the Council also resolved to encourage Afghan authorities to make sure the national presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year are as inclusive and representative of the country's demographics as possible.

 

S-G Denounces Series Of Bombings And Other Violent Attacks In Uzbekistan 7

Saying crimes against civilians can never be justified, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 30 March expressed his dismay at the series of terrorist bombings and other violent attacks in Uzbekistan in the past two days.

A statement released by his spokesperson at UN Headquarters in New York said Mr. Annan "condemns those criminal acts in the strongest terms.

"Targeting of civilians is a crime which cannot be justified by any cause," the statement said.

More than 20 people are reported to have been killed and another 50 people injured, mainly civilians, following bombings and gun battles in the Uzbek capital Tashkent and the provincial city of Bukhara.

 

S-G Disquieted By Rising Factionalism In DR Of Congo Government 8

In a report chronicling regression in the post-conflict Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says the increasing factionalism in the Transitional Government is disquieting, the continuing reports of militia atrocities against civilians causes concern and the slowdown in normalizing relations with the country's neighbours is regrettable.

He also condemned on 30 March the shooting death of a South African peacekeeper on 25 March near Bukavu as an attempt to deter the UN Organization Mission in the DRC (MONUC) from fulfilling its mandate. His report also notes that on 12 February Maj. Peter Wachai of Kenya was killed when militias attacked a MONUC convoy near Katoto.

Eight months after the establishment of the DRC's Transitional Government, "the most crucial issue concerns the ability of the transitional leaders to act as a truly unified government and to overcome the persistent atmosphere of distrust," he says in a periodic report on developments in the country.

The government's first priority should be to pass legislation governing security sector reform, extension of the State administration, elections, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, especially of the Mayi-Mayi militia into the national army, Mr. Annan says.

 

S-G's Adviser Recommends Long-Term UN Presence In Post-Conflict Haiti 9

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special adviser on Haiti on 30 March called for a long-term international presence of some 20 years in the Caribbean country as it recovered from a series of reverses, but he said that mission must give ownership of reconstruction programmes to Haitians themselves.

"We cannot continue, I said to the Council, with the stop-start cycle that has characterized relations between the international community and Haiti," Special Adviser Reginald Dumas told journalists after he spoke to the Security Council in a closed meeting.

Since 1994, 10 separate and joint missions by the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) would spend a year or two, without necessarily involving local people in their work, and there would be no continuity after the missions left, he said.

During a recent 10-day visit to Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, he saw that the health care, education, human rights, justice and police institutions had virtually collapsed and would require a massive and sustained effort on the part of the international community to restore, Mr. Dumas said.

A long-term commitment would last for a period of not less than 20 years, he said, whether that period would be acceptable to the international community or not. He noted that Mr. Annan had suggested a commitment of 10 years "or more."

 

New Structure For Security Council Committee Aims To Help Countries Fight Terror 10

Stepping up United Nations efforts to combat the terrorist threat, the Security Council on 26 March restructured its Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) in a bid to revitalize the panel's efforts in fighting the worldwide scourge and adapt to the evolving nature of its mission.

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council decided that the CTC would consist of a Plenary _ comprising the Security Council's Member States and focusing on strategic and policy decisions _ and a Bureau, which would be composed of the Chair and Vice-Chairs, as well as the consolidated expert and Secretariat staff, known as the Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), headed by an Executive Director. 

The text includes a "sunset clause" for the CTED, set for 31 December 2007, and calls for a comprehensive review of the Directorate by 31 December 2005 to enhance the Committee's ability to monitor the implementation of Resolution 1373 and "effectively continue the capacity-building work in which it is engaged."

 

UN Envoy Sets Up Review Of Mission's Response To Recent Violence In Kosovo 11

The top United Nations envoy for Kosovo announced on 30 March he is setting up a review body to study the UN mission's response to the deadly violence in the province earlier this month and to make recommendations on how it can react better in future crises.

Harri Holkeri, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative for Kosovo, said an international judge or jurist will chair the Crisis Management Review Body, which will include qualified crisis management experts. The Body will report back to him on its findings within 30 days of beginning work.

More than two dozen people were killed, hundreds of others were injured, homes and religious sites were burnt and at least 3,000 people driven from their homes during two days of rioting across Kosovo starting 17 March. At the time the Security Council issued a statement by its President denouncing the "large-scale inter-ethnic violence."

In a statement issued in Pristina, Kosovo's capital, Mr. Holkeri said the review body will examine whether security and protection measures and procedures can be improved for future crises. It will also assess the performance of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

 

UN Peacekeeping Chief Tells Of Major Challenges Ahead As Missions Expand 12

With the Security Council set to create or expand its peacekeeping missions "on an almost unprecedented scale," the United Nations faces considerable political, logistical, recruitment and security challenges, the UN's most senior peacekeeping official said on 29 March.

Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, made the remarks in his regular report to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, a General Assembly body set up to review operations and recommend ways to reform peacekeeping missions.

Mr. Guéhenno told the Committee that UN missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Liberia have recently expanded, a mission in Côte d'Ivoire is about to begin and missions are proposed for Burundi, Haiti and Sudan.

"Today we have some 48,000 troops deployed. Before the end of this year, we may be called upon to field 70,000 troops," Mr. Guéhenno said, pointing out that several of the world's biggest military forces are already engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said any new missions should have a clear and precise mandate so that "limited resources" can be allocated across the expanding number of missions.

The head of peacekeeping said reforms in recent years meant the UN was better placed to rapidly provide essential equipment to the field, and making sure troops were appropriately supported with resources.

But he also said that recruitment remains a problem, with particular trouble finding skilled civilian personnel to fill mission jobs.

"We do not have enough to meet current demand, let alone reach the tentative projects of 2,000-plus additional staff we could easily need for forthcoming missions, without compromising our ability to deliver support at Headquarters."

Mr. Guéhenno said the UN's ability to gather information and develop intelligence also needs to be enhanced to better protect peacekeeping staff from potential threats.

"We are closely assessing how the security management system can be improved. I would urge Member States to give every consideration to bolstering the UN's capacity in this fundamental area," he said.

 

Security Council Extends UN Mission In Sierra Leone And Slows Troop Withdrawal 13

Extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) by another six months, the Security Council on 30 March endorsed plans to scale down the size of its peacekeeping force to a residual presence next year to give Government forces time to assert control over the country.

In a unanimous decision, the 15-member Council voted to continue UNAMSIL's work through 30 September at least, as requested by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his latest report.

The Council also resolved that a reduced UNAMSIL presence should stay on in Sierra Leone for at least six months starting 1 January, to help with the smooth transition of authority over security to the national government. Under a more gradual drawdown than previously planned, the Council estimates that the troop numbers should fall to 3,250 by 28 February 2005 from 5,000 at the end of this year.

Local elections are scheduled to be held in May and the country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission is expected to produce its report soon.

In the resolution, the Council also urges the Government to strengthen its efforts to develop an effective police force, army, penal system and independent judiciary so that it can take over those responsibilities soon.

 

Sec-Gen Leads UN Officials In Tributes On Death Of Peter Ustinov 14

Secretary-General Kofi Annan led United Nations officials in paying tribute on 29 March after the death of actor Peter Ustinov, who served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) for more than 30 years speaking out on behalf of millions of boys and girls around the world.

"The children of the world have lost a true friend in Sir Peter Ustinov," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said. "Sir Peter had a magical way with children and an inimitable way of making their problems matter to people all over the world.

"He was one of UNICEF's most effective and beloved partners, a man who exemplified the idea that one person can make a world of difference," she added.

A statement issued by a spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan remembered Mr. Ustinov's "exceptional wit, intelligence and creativity," which "were fully matched by his compassion, conscience and character." 

"Not only did his talents bring joy to millions of people, he served UNICEF with dedication and distinction for more than three decades to bring attention to the needs of children everywhere," the statement said.

"The Secretary-General extends his condolences to Sir Peter's wife and family, and joins his admirers around the world in giving thanks for the life of this incurable optimist, remarkable world citizen and steadfast friend of the United Nations," it added.

 

S-G Mourns Loss Of Veteran Journalist Alistair Cooke 15

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 30 March paid tribute to the New York-based British journalist Alistair Cooke, presenter of the famous "Letter from America" radio segment, who has died.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Annan said Mr. Cooke had a special place in the history of the UN _ in 1945 he covered the world body's founding conference in San Francisco for what was then known as the Manchester Guardian.

From 1961 to 1967 Mr. Cooke produced and presented "International Zone," a programme on world affairs produced by the UN's Department of Public Information and released around the globe.

The journalist was best known for his "Letter from America," a radio segment broadcast weekly by the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), with only an occasional break, since 1946. He was also a television presenter.

Offering his condolences to Mr. Cooke's family "and all others touched by this loss," Mr. Annan commended the journalist's "lifelong efforts to increase mutual understanding between peoples."

 

International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda 16

One Minute of Silence at Noon on 7 April 2004

To commemorate what is one of the most tragic episodes of the twentieth century, the United Nations has called for the observance of International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda which is to be observed on 7 April 2004.

The International Day has been mandated by the General Assembly resolution A/RES/58/234, which "encourages member states, organizations of the UN system and other relevant international organizations, as well as civil society organizations, to observe the Day, including special observances and activities in memory of the victims of the genocide".

The Day is to be observed only this year, which is the 10th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide.

In connection with the Day, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has also announced that on 7 April, at 12 noon local time, the UN will observe one minute of silence in memory of the victims of the genocide, and
has invited Member States and civil society organizations to do the same.

 

Memorial Conference On Rwandan Genocide Considers Lessons For Future 17

Just days ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the United Nations on 26 March hosted a solemn memorial conference on the milestone which served as an occasion to review past mistakes and draw lessons for the future.

Addressing the gathering, Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who headed the UN's peacekeeping department during the three months of massacres that claimed some 800,000 lives, said this blighted moment in history had deeply impacted him personally. At the time, he pressed dozens of countries to contribute troops.

"I believed that I was doing my best, but I realized after the genocide that there was more that I could and should have done to sound the alarm and rally support," he said.

"This painful memory, along with that of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has influenced much of my thinking, and many of my actions, as Secretary-General." 

He said the events of 10 years ago, and the failure of the world to respond, "must leave us always with a sense of bitter regret and abiding sorrow."

Mr. Annan called on the people of the world _ "everywhere, no matter what their station in life, whether in crowded cities or remote rural areas" _ to observe a minute's silence at noon local time in every time zone on 7 April, which has been marked by the General Assembly as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda.

 

UN Rapporteur: Fight Against Terrorism Could Restrict Right To Free Expression 18

The legitimate efforts of many countries to prevent terrorism might be restricting the basic human right to information, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of expression told the UN Commission on Human Rights on 1 April.

Delivering his report to the Commission's annual meeting, being held in Geneva, Ambeyi Ligabo painted a grim global picture, saying attacks continue to occur in many States against citizens _ such as journalists and trade union workers _ who dared to express different opinions.

Mr. Ligabo added that the perpetrators of those attacks, which occur across the world in different but damaging ways, are rarely punished. He called for an in-depth study on the security of journalists in conflict zones.

He also called for the reversal of the concentration of large media groups in some countries, saying their dominance of media markets does not allow for a pluralistic approach to information.

 

UN Rights Experts: Arbitrary Use Of Force Spreads, Summary Executions Continue 19

United Nations human rights experts addressing the Geneva-based UN Commission on Human Rights are warning of a global upsurge in illegal killings as well as the emerging threat of torture being used against persons with HIV/AIDS.

The Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Asma Jahangir, told the meeting on 31 March that she had recently seen a disturbing trend towards the indiscriminate use of force on all continents, and voiced deep concern that there had been no improvement with regard to the unlawful slaughter of civilians.

In addition, Ms. Jahangir said, she was disturbed at reports received in the last year from at least five countries where aerial bombardment or firing had been used to kill civilians or suspected terrorists. Even in the face of tough challenges, governments could not derogate from their obligation to respect the right to life, she added.

 

UNEP Warns Oxygen-Starved `Dead Zones' In Seas Threaten Marine Stocks 20

Nearly 150 oxygen-starved "dead zones" in the world's oceans and seas, linked to an excess of nutrients, mainly nitrogen, from synthetic agricultural fertilizers, vehicle and factory emissions and wastes, threaten the survival of marine animals and plants, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says in a new report.

UNEP's first Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Year Book 2003 says, "The emergence of areas of artificially low oxygen levels can be closely correlated with the use of synthetic fertilizers in agriculture. Nitrogen is a main ingredient of these fertilizers."

The Year Book will be launched at this week's Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GMEF) meeting in Jeju, Republic of Korea.

Human beings are conducting a gigantic, global experiment because of the inefficient and often excessive use of fertilizers, the discharge of untreated sewage and the ever-increasing emissions from vehicles and factories, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer says.

"The nitrogen and phosphorus from these sources are being discharged into rivers and the coastal environment, or being deposited from the atmosphere, triggering these alarming and sometimes irreversible effects," he says.

"Some of these so-called dead zones, or oxygen-starved areas, are relatively small, less than one square kilometre in size, whereas others are far larger at up to 70,000 square kilometres. What is clear is that unless urgent action is taken to tackle the sources of the problem, it is likely to escalate rapidly."

The fertilizers trigger blooms of tiny marine organisms called phytoplankton, whose rapid growth and decomposition use up oxygen in seawater, the report says.

"Sometimes, the effects are mild. But sometimes they can be dramatic, with fish fleeing the `suffocating waters' and creatures, like clams, lobsters, oysters, snails and other slow-moving, bottom-living creatures, dying en masse," Mr. Toepfer says.

Dead zones have been found in Chesapeake Bay in the United States, the Baltic Sea, the Kattegat Strait between Sweden and Denmark, the Scandinavian fjords, the Black Sea and the northern Adriatic Sea.

As already flagged in 2000, the best-known area of depleted oxygen is in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by nutrients or fertilizers from the Mississippi River. Other zones have appeared off South America, China, Japan, southeast Australia and New Zealand.

More oxygen-starved areas may emerge in coastal waters off parts of Asia, Latin America and Africa as industrialization and more intensive agriculture increase the discharge of nutrients, UNEP says.

 

Rising Tide Of Rubbish And Wastes Key Problem For Small Island States 21

From discarded beer cans turning pristine shores blue green to old sofas blocking lush creeks, the world's small island states are facing another key problem _ a rising tide of rubbish and wastes _ and need urgent international aid to deal with it, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said on 30 March.

As if rising sea levels, over-fishing, water shortages and inadequate sanitation service were not enough, these countries now see waste threatening not only public health but also their livelihoods, according to studies presented to the 8th Special Session of UNEP's Governing Council and the Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Jeju, Republic of Korea.

Many small island developing States (SIDS) are dependent on income from tourists, and visitors are less likely to return to an island or recommend it to friends if the landscape, shoreline and coastal waters are littered with plastics, old cans, discarded sofas and other industrial and household rubbish, UNEP noted.

"Small islands across the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific are some of the most vulnerable nations on Earth," UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said.

"Handling solid wastes from industry, households and tourism is emerging as another issue with which they need advice and help," he added, noting they were already threatened by extreme weather and rising sea levels due to global warming. "Such wastes are not only unsightly and a threat to wildlife, they can also contaminate rivers and ground waters as they slowly degrade."

One study, a booklet entitled UNEP and Small Island Developing States: 1994-2004 and Future Perspectives, estimates that since the early 1990s the levels of plastic wastes on SIDS has increased fivefold. It points out that problems of rubbish and litter are part of a wider waste crisis. For example, 90 per cent of wastewater is discharged untreated from islands in the Caribbean. In parts of the northeast Pacific, the level of untreated sewage is 98 per cent.

Another report, UNEP's Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA), notes that a short walk along any coastline close to human habitation in the Pacific Islands will reveal many example of inappropriate waste disposal, while for Indian Ocean Islands "the most critical issue for the States in the region is the growing problem of solid wastes."

 

11 Countries Receive Temporary Exemption To Toxic Substance Ban, UN Agency Reports 22

An intergovernmental meeting on the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has granted limited "critical use exemptions" to 11 developed countries facing a year-end deadline for phasing out the toxic pesticide methyl bromide.

The exemptions are intended to give farmers, fumigators and other users of methyl bromide some additional time to adopt cost-effective substitutes for this ozone-destroying substance, which is used to eliminate pests in such crops as tomatoes, strawberries, melons, peppers, cucumbers and flowers. 

At the meeting, which wrapped up on 26 March in Montreal, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States were granted exemptions.

Like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were almost entirely phased out by developed countries in 1996, methyl bromide damages the stratospheric ozone layer that protects all living things from too much solar radiation. Increased radiation leads to more skin cancers and eye cataracts while damaging plants and animals, including the plankton that sustains the marine food chain.

 

UN Joint Report Says More Women Getting Prenatal Care In Developing Countries 23

The number of women in developing countries receiving prenatal care has risen 20 per cent since 1990, with the lowest percentage being in South Asia, according to a joint report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"The advantages of receiving regular antenatal care cannot be stressed enough," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. "If a woman comes for antenatal care early in her pregnancy, there is time for early diagnosis and treatment of infections in the mother, and an opportunity to prevent low birth weight and other conditions in the newborn."

The study spotlights governments that now see prenatal or antenatal medical visits as an opportunity to provide the pregnant woman with, say, a vaccination to prevent tetanus, an insecticide-treated net screen to prevent malaria, tests for anaemia, enrolment in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and counselling for a safe delivery.

These factors help to ensure that the mother remains healthy through childbirth.

Prenatal care increases the likelihood that a skilled attendant _ a doctor, midwife, nurse, or other health care provider with equivalent skills _ is present at the birth and can detect and manage childbirth complications. This assistance may mean the difference between life and death for mother and child.

"The most dangerous time for a pregnant woman is the critical period around labour and delivery, which is when most women die," said Joy Phumaphi, Assistant Director-General for Family and Community Health at WHO. "Giving care and information during pregnancy can help reduce the number of women who die giving birth."

More than half of women in the developing world are getting at least four antenatal visits, in line with the WHO recommendation. Notable exceptions include Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nepal and Yemen, all of which have relatively high percentages of women who have only one antenatal care visit.

In Nepal 38 per cent of women reported at least one visit, but only 9 per cent reported four or more visits. South Asia, overall, had the lowest levels of antenatal care with only half of women getting even one visit.

 

WHO Seeks To Combat Dangerous Misuse And Overuse Of Medicines 24

With misuse and overuse accounting for almost half the total global use of medicines with potential severe consequences such as drug resistance and even death, the United Nations health agency on 29 March called for multilateral partnerships to set up advocacy and education programmes especially in developing countries.

Irrational use of medicines includes over-treatment of a mild illness, inadequate treatment of a serious illness, misuse of anti-infective drugs, over-use of injections, self-medication of prescription drugs and premature interruption of treatment. Several country figures show that such practices are frequent, and not exclusively in developing countries.

Almost half of all medicines globally are used irrationally, with such potential consequences as adverse drug reactions, drug resistance, protracted illness and death. In addition, financial cost incurred by individuals and governments due to irrational use is often extremely high, particularly in developing countries.

According to figures gathered by surveys presented to WHO, in 2000 about 60 per cent of antibiotics in Nigeria were prescribed unnecessarily. In Nepal, more than half of antibiotics prescribed in 1996 were not needed and 40 per cent of medicine expenditures in the same year was wasted due to inappropriate prescriptions.

Overuse of most medicines contributes to drug resistance. For example, overuse of chloroquine, the traditional remedy for malaria, has led to resistance which has been recorded in over 80 countries. Resistance to penicillin, used to treat gonorrhoea, is present in as many as 98 per cent of patients in certain regions.

Irrational use of drugs due to inappropriate prescription can also lead to adverse drug events causing illness or death. In the United Sates, adverse drug events represent one of the six leading causes of death.

 

End Cotton Subsidies That Come At Expense Of Poor Farmers, UN Official Urges 25

As the World Trade Organization (WTO) holds talks this week in Geneva, a senior United Nations official has urged an end to cotton subsidies that distort the global market at the expense of producers in poor countries.

Writing in The International Herald Tribune, Under-Secretary-General Anwarul K. Chowdhury points out that cotton is one of the world's most heavily subsidized crops. In the United States, cotton exported at 37 cents a pound in 2002 cost agricultural firms 86 cents to produce, with the difference made up by US taxpayers. The country's subsidies for cotton amounted to $1.7 billion in 2002.

"These subsidies, placed on cotton by Europe as well as by the US, form a barrier to a number of poor countries trying to work, and trade, their way out of abysmal poverty," says Mr. Chowdhury, the UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.

He explains that cotton is a key export for at least 20 LDCs, where generally the population lives on $1 a day or less. "Not only are they competing at home and in the world market with the advanced technology of agro-business in the North, they have to contend with subsidized exports that, from the US in 2002, were being sold at an average of 61 per cent below the cost of production," he points out.

The phase-out of cotton subsidies, he argues, would not only open up economic opportunity in some of the world's poorest countries, but could also jump start progress in other areas of agricultural trade disputes. "If that happens, the whole world would benefit," Mr. Chowdhury concludes.