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21 May, 2004
 

Table Of Contents

Security Council Calls For More Engagement Of UN Membership In Peacekeeping 1

The United Nations Security Council on 17 May called on Member States to give the world body the political and financial support, as well as the civilian and military personnel, "to allow the multiple peacekeeping operations to start optimally and fulfill their respective mandates in an effective manner."

After its review of UN peacekeeping operations in a meeting presided over by Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan, which holds the Council's rotating monthly Presidency for May, the Council said it understood the challenges the recent surge in demand for new peacekeeping operations meant for the UN system.

"The Security Council calls upon Member States to ensure that the United Nations is provided with full political and financial support to meet these challenges effectively, keeping in view the specific requirements of each mission and bearing in mind the human and financial resource implications for the United Nations," Ambassador Akram said in the presidential statement.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted at the outset of the meeting that an extra $1 billion will be needed by the end of the year to fund the ever-growing number of peacekeeping missions, which currently stand at 14 with operations in Haiti set to begin in June.

"The Security Council calls upon Member States to contribute sufficient levels of trained troops, police and civilian personnel, including those with specialized capabilities and skills, bearing in mind the need for an increased percentage of female personnel at all decision-making levels," he added.

The statement suggested that troop-contributing countries and countries donating necessities other than troops help plan the missions and aid the Council in making appropriate, effective and timely decisions about the missions.

Recognizing the need to draw on the expertise of experienced troop-contributing countries, the Council called for the establishment of peacekeeping training centres for new and emerging troop contributors.

Paying high tribute to the high level of professionalism, dedication and courage of all those who have served with UN peacekeeping operations, the Council "honoured the memory of those who lost their lives in the service of the United Nations and the noble cause of peace."

 

S-G: UN Peacekeeping Budget Needs Extra $1 Billion By Year's End 2

United Nations peacekeeping missions, which are becoming increasingly numerous and more complex, will need an extra $1 billion by the end of 2004, bringing up the total funds available to nearly $4 billion, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Security Council on 17 May.

The developed countries with specialized military capacities made only limited troop contributions and UN missions were being hampered by the lack of particular capacities, he said during a Council review of UN peacekeeping operations.

Last month there were more than 53,000 troops, military observers and civilian police serving in more than a dozen UN missions around the world _ the highest number of personnel since October 1995, with another two missions on the horizon, he said at the outset of the meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Khurshid M. Kasuri of Pakistan, which currently holds the Council's rotating Presidency. 

Most were going beyond the limited military functions of traditional peacekeeping missions, Mr. Annan noted.

The newly multi-dimensional missions "are implementing peace agreements, helping manage political transitions, supporting economic reconstruction, organizing the return of refugees and displaced persons, assisting humanitarian aid programmes, supervising or even organizing elections, monitoring human rights, clearing minefields, disarming and demobilizing militias and reintegrating their members into the civilian economy," he said.

As the UN body mandating these difficult and dangerous missions, the Security Council needed to provide sustained solidarity and maintain clear political objectives backed by a strong international consensus, he stressed.

Meanwhile, those international staff helping to build peace must never lose sight of the fact that "it is the local population that must take the lead in the decision-making that affects their lives," Mr. Annan said.

 

Sec-Gen Condemns Killing Of Iraqi Governing Council President 3

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 17 May condemned the assassination of the President of the Iraqi Governing Council, Ezz El-Din Salim, and vowed not to let the attack deter the UN from helping the country with the political transition at the end of June.

The Secretary-General learned with "shock and dismay" of Mr. Salim's assassination, said Mr. Annan's spokesman, Fred Eckhard. "The Secretary-General strongly condemns this tragic and criminal act. It is a bad day for the people of Iraq and all those striving to help them," he said.

"In the critical days leading up to the restoration of Iraq's sovereignty on 30 June, it is all the more important for the Iraqi people to resolve peacefully their differences and rally together in a spirit of unity and dialogue to build the foundations of a new Iraq," he said. 

"Despite this tragic incident, which has robbed Iraq of an illustrious citizen, the United Nations remains committed to assist the Iraqi people in the transitional political process. On this sad and painful occasion, the Secretary-General extends his condolences to Mr. Salim's family as well as to the Iraqi people," Mr. Eckhard said.

Speaking to reporters, the Secretary-General said he hoped the culprits would be apprehended, and that the assassination would not disrupt the work being done by the team led by his Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi.

"We are doing our best to go ahead, and I urge the Iraqi political leaders, and the Iraqi population, to go ahead with the formation of a government and the search for stability in their country," Mr. Annan said.

"Obviously there are elements on the ground who are against the process, who do not want it to succeed, and I think this is also one more reason for those who are determined to stabilize Iraq, and for the Iraqis who want to redeem their sovereignty and get on with their lives, to play an important role and not allow the elements that are determined to derail the process to succeed," he added.

Asked if the killing was also a signal that the UN was a target as well, he replied: "I do not want to read too much into it, as if it was a message for anyone else, but I think it was tragic that Salim was killed."

In Geneva the Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharan in a statement condemned the killing as "as another act of terrorism by people who have no regard for life or any other human right."

 

Brahimi Attends Emergency Session Of Iraqi Governing Council  4

United Nations Special Adviser Lakhdar Brahimi on 17 May met with the top United States official in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, and visited with members of the Iraqi Governing Council, who were meeting in an emergency session following the assassination of the current President Ezz El-Din Salim.

In a statement released in Baghdad, Mr. Brahimi voiced "great shock" at the killing of Mr. Salim, who was blown up by a suicide car bomber earlier on 17 May. "We condemn this criminal act, which has taken the life of one of Iraq's most loyal and patriotic citizens, a man who made every sacrifice for his country, who worked sincerely and selflessly so that Iraq may regain its sovereignty and strength," he said.

Mr. Brahimi, who is currently in Iraq helping to set up a caretaker government for the transfer of sovereignty from the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) on 30 June, noted that he and his delegation had just spent three days with Mr. Salim in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan.

"We were able to appreciate the depth of his knowledge, his broad mindedness, his political vision, his humanity and his profound belief in the ability of the citizens of Iraq to overcome this difficult phase in the life of their nation and to build the new Iraq," he said.

 

US Invites UN Members To Help Expand Security Forces For Iraq  5

The United States called on United Nations Member States on 19 May to help provide a special protective force for UN personnel returning to Iraq to assist with preparations for future elections.

"We must expand international security forces to support the return of United Nations international personnel to Iraq," the US Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador James Cunningham, told the Security Council in the last periodic briefing on Iraq by the US-led coalition before sovereignty is returned at the end of June.

"We are working to establish a unit within the MNF (Multinational Force) under unified command to provide dedicated security for United Nations personnel and facilities in Iraq," he said. "The ability of the United Nations to continue its vital role in assisting Iraqis to prepare for elections depends on its security. We urge the international community to participate in this important task."

More than 210,000 Iraqis already serve in the Iraqi security force, but their response has been uneven and their quality and leadership are being improved, he said.

 

UN Assesses Nearly 2,000 Nominations For Iraqi Electoral Commission 6

Nearly 2,000 people, 6 per cent of them women, have been nominated for top posts with the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, which will guide United Nations-assisted general elections set for next January.

The UN electoral assistance team in Iraq said on 19 May the submission process conducted from 2 to 15 May resulted in 1,878 nominations being received. Of that total, 266 (14 per cent) were received via e-mail and 111 (6 per cent) were female nominees.

Nominations came in from all 18 governorates, although five could not physically receive them because of security reasons, and the 17-page Arabic or Kurdish submissions could be downloaded and sent in by post and e-mail, it said.

The UN was processing the submissions at a secure location to reduce the number to 20 nominees for seven posts of Commissioner and five nominees for one Chief Electoral Officer. The nominees would be interviewed by a UN panel of international electoral experts to reduce the list further to a maximum of 15 for Commissioner and three for Chief Electoral Officer.

The Iraqi Governing Council would rank the nominees and the United States administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), L. Paul Bremer, would appoint the top nominees by 31 May.

 

Brahimi Meets Red Cross Envoy On State Of Detainees In Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison 7

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, on 20 May discussed with the Baghdad envoy of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) the situation of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib and other prisons following reports of abuse and humiliation by United States and other coalition forces.

Due process rights, the whereabouts of the detainees and the conditions of their detention were among the issues on the agenda of the meeting with ICRC representative Pierre Grassmann. Mr. Brahimi urged the ICRC to engage with the new Iraqi caretaker government, due to take over sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority on 30 June, to find solutions to all the outstanding problems regarding the detainees.

The UN envoy, who has been in Iraq for two weeks for talks with all sectors of society as part of his efforts to set up the proposed interim government, said he was concerned about the situation of the detainees and had raised these issues publicly, both in Baghdad and in his report to the Security Council last month.

He also met with representatives of the Turkmen community as he continued to gather the views of hundreds of Iraqis regarding the composition of the caretaker government, the idea of holding a national conference and the process for elections scheduled for the end of January.

Mr. Brahimi said he "trusts there is a good basis for consensus on a government that will effectively serve the interests of the Iraqi people for the forthcoming period of transition." He will continue this process of broad consultation until consensus is achieved on the composition, structure and powers of the interim government.

 

S-G, Ramcharan Voice Dismay At Latest Violence In Gaza 8

On 14 May, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the UN's top human rights official both voiced their dismay at the violence and destruction in Gaza during the latest cycle of fighting that erupted earlier in the week.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns Israel's ongoing and widespread destruction of Palestinian homes in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip," said a statement issued by a spokesman for Mr. Annan.

Reports cite the demolition of scores of buildings over the last two days, in addition to 130 residential buildings already destroyed this month. "The Secretary-General has repeatedly called on the Government of Israel to address its security needs within the boundaries of international law," spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

"He urges Israel to uphold its obligations as an occupying power by immediately halting such actions, which are tantamount to collective punishment and a clear violation of international law," he added.

The Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, said he was alarmed over the violence and death toll following Israeli incursions that left more than 25 Palestinians dead and dozens of others injured. Meanwhile, at least 11 Israeli soldiers have also died, with the remains of some of them being paraded by members of Palestinian armed groups in a shocking display, he noted in a statement issued in Geneva.

The Acting High Commissioner said he was concerned about the scale of the use of force by the Israeli army in its latest operations, and urged all parties to respect the right to life, fundamental to all other human rights.

Mr. Ramcharan urged all concerned to stop the violence in Gaza and to resume negotiations, in line with the calls of the Quartet, aimed at securing a lasting settlement and respect for all human rights.

The High Commissioner also emphasized the duty to protect human rights even in armed conflict and appealed to all concerned to live up to this obligation.

 

Sec-Gen Urges Israel To Halt Destruction Of Palestinian Homes In Gaza 9

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 17 May repeated his condemnation of Israel's widespread destruction of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip, which a UN agency estimates will cost some $32 million to re-house the nearly 19,000 people left homeless by the demolition.

According to UN relief teams, 2,197 people have lost their homes following the demolition of 191 homes throughout Gaza in the first 15 days of May, with Rafah the worst-affected area. There was also news of Israeli military plans for a more extensive round of house demolitions in Gaza.

"The Secretary-General repeats his call on the Government of Israel to fulfil its obligations under international law as it acts to ensure its security. As the occupying power, it must cease such acts of collective punishment immediately, and to refrain from further grave violations of international law," Mr. Annan's spokesman said in a statement.

Asked earlier by reporters about the destruction of housing in Gaza, the Secretary-General said: "I am really distressed that it continues. It really is causing a very difficult and painful situation for the people of Palestine."

Meanwhile, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has opened a school to house the latest victims of the destruction and is distributing tents, food, water, kitchen kits, mattresses and blankets. The Agency estimates that it will cost $32 million to re-house the 18,382 people who have lost their homes across the Gaza Strip.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen said the Agency now "has the job of dealing with the human tragedy behind each demolition _ the distressed children in its schools, the homeless families in need of basics like blankets, food and water, and the communities shaken by the stress of ceaseless conflict."

He also stressed that his agency is facing severe under-funding of its Emergency Appeal for 2004 and is unlikely to receive all the resources it needs to meet the needs of the homeless. Already, many thousands of people have waited more than two years for the agency to provide them with new, permanent shelter.

 

Security Council Calls On Israel To Stop Demolition Of Palestinian Homes 10

Concerned by the recent demolition of homes in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations Security Council on 19 May called on Israel to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law and insisted on its obligation not to destroy homes contrary to that law.

The Council voted 14 in favour, with the United States abstaining, to adopt a resolution expressing its grave concern regarding the humanitarian situation of Palestinians made homeless in the Rafah area, and calling for the provision of emergency assistance.

The Council text also called on both parties to immediately implement their obligations under the Road Map, a plan sponsored by the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and United States _ the so-called diplomatic Quartet _ that calls for a series of parallel and reciprocal steps leading to two states living side-by-side in peace by 2005.

Earlier on 19 May Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he had been in touch with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, discussing the situation with them and the need to bring the situation under control.

"I also had a call from Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat… appealing for assistance from the international community, and pleading with the UN and the international community to do something, and indicating that the civilians are under threat, and that this attack killed many children and women," he told reporters.

The Secretary-General also stressed Israel's obligation "as an occupying power for the protection of civilians." He said the destruction of houses has added greater burden on the population and created very difficult circumstances under which UNRWA must work.

"As the numbers increase, it is going to be even much more difficult for us…so I appeal for them to stop the destruction and really take steps, which is their obligation to protect the civilians," he said.

 

S-G Strongly Condemns Killing Of Palestinian Demonstrators In Gaza 11

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 19 May strongly condemned the killing and injury of Palestinian demonstrators in southern Gaza, and called on Israel to immediately end its military operations there.

"The killing of peaceful demonstrators, many of them women and children, has distressed the Secretary-General, who sends his deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims," his spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said in a statement.

Mr. Eckhard noted that the Secretary-General has repeatedly warned Israel, including on 18 May via his Middle East envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, "that it must abide by its obligations as an occupying power, which include protecting the civilian population and eschewing the disproportionate or indiscriminate use of force."

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said it was deeply concerned about the effect of the ongoing military operation in the Gaza Strip on children, particularly a missile strike on 19 May that claimed the lives of at least 10 Palestinians, many of them youngsters. 

With the recent military actions in Rafah _ and this missile strike _ at least 10 children have already lost their lives, including a 16-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy shot in their home on 18 May. Many additional children have been injured and all are facing psychosocial distress, UNICEF said.

Since the start of the conflict, Israeli and Palestinian children have paid a very heavy price, UNICEF said. Over 660 children under 18 have been killed, of which 560 were Palestinian and 104 were Israeli _ including four Israeli sisters killed by militants in an attack in the Gaza Strip on 2 May.

 

UN Human Rights Expert Voices `Horror' At Israeli Action In Gaza 12

A United Nations human rights expert has expressed his "horror" at the ongoing Israeli military action in Gaza, where some 30 Palestinian have been killed, nearly 200 homes have been destroyed and 2,200 people left without shelter since the beginning of May.

John Dugard, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, issued a statement on 19 May calling the Israeli actions "a violation of international humanitarian law" and constituted war crimes under the Geneva Convention relative to the protection of civilians in times of war.

"They also amount to collective punishment, which violates both humanitarian law and international human rights law," the statement added. "It is impossible to accept the Israeli argument that these actions are justified by military necessity. On the contrary…they are `carried out unlawfully and wantonly,'"

The Special Rapporteur called on the Government of Israel to desist from such activity and to observe its international obligations. He also called on the UN Security Council to take appropriate action to stop the violence, if necessary by the imposition of mandatory arms embargo on Israel of the kind that was imposed on South Africa in 1977.

Mr. Dugard reminded Council members, especially its permanent members, of their obligations to take action to restore international peace and security in the region. "The Special Rapporteur sees no reason why an arms embargo should not be an appropriate measure," the statement said, urgently calling on all Council members "to behave responsibly, in accordance with their international obligations, and not to allow domestic political considerations to undermine their international obligations."

 

S-G: Constitutional Talks In Myanmar Not Credible Without Full Participation 13

Constitutional talks in Myanmar would not be credible without the full participation of democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's party and other political groups, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned on 17 May.

The Secretary-General "noted with concern" that Myanmar's national convention was reconvened without the involvement of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties that won the majority of seats in the elections of 1990, his spokesman said in a statement.

"He reiterates that, for the national convention to be credible, it must be all-inclusive and that all the delegates must be able to express their views without sanction," spokesman Fred Eckhard said. 

"The release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has clearly indicated her willingness to work with the Government, and U Tin Oo, Deputy Chairman of the NLD, as well as the lifting of the remaining restrictions on the NLD, are essential if the international community is to recognize the national convention as a legitimate forum for democratization and national reconciliation in Myanmar," he added.

 

S-G: Duty Of UN, Global Community To Bring Decolonization To Successful End 14

Despite proud, historic accomplishments in decolonization, the United Nations' job is incomplete, with 16 non-self-governing territories remaining on its list, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on 18 May.

"It is up to the United Nations and the international community to bring the decolonization process to a successful conclusion," Mr. Annan said in a message to the opening of the Pacific regional seminar on decolonization. It was delivered on his behalf to the gathering in Papua New Guinea by Anna Theofilopoulou, the Acting Chief of the UN's Decolonization Unit.

"I hope this year's seminar will…help all concerned to prepare for the future by devising strategies to support the political, economic and social advancement of the Non-Self Government Territories in their quest for self-determination," he said.

The annual seminar was organized by the UN General Assembly's Special Committee on Decolonization.

 

UN Mission In Timor-Leste Reduced, With Eye Towards Phase-Out By May 2005 15

The Security Council decided unanimously on 14 May to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) for another six months, reduce its size, put more emphasis on training and advisory services and phase it out by May of next year.

Under the new resolution, UNMISET's mandate would consist of "support for the public administration and justice system of Timor-Leste and for justice in the area of serious crimes; support to the development of law enforcement in Timor-Leste; and support for the security and stability of Timor-Leste," as outlined in Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report.

For this new role, UNMISET would include up to 58 civilian advisers, 157 civilian police advisers, 42 military liaison officers, 310 formed troops and a 125-person International Response Unit, all of whom would integrate internationally accepted human rights principles into their training and capacity-building work, the Council said.

The Council also reaffirmed the need to fight against impunity and called on the international community to lend its support in this regard. It emphasized that the Serious Crime Unit should complete all its investigations by next November and should conclude all trials no later than 20 May 2005, the intended expiration of the UN Mission.

* * *

In another landmark of progress for Timor-Leste, the United Nations mission in the southeast Asian country on 19 May handed over all official responsibility for policing and external security to the government of the world body's youngest member.

"This is an historic occasion and an important milestone in Timor-Leste's history as an independent sovereign state," Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Kamalesh Sharma said following the formal transfer of power at a ceremony at the airport in Dili, the capital.

Mr. Sharma had high praise for all UN police and peacekeeping forces as well as the nations that contributed to UN operations since October 1999 after Timor-Leste voted to separate from Indonesia and following formal independence in May 2002, most recently in the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET).

"They have not only successfully maintained peace and security but have also trained and nurtured the police and defence forces of Timor-Leste," providing the "enabling environment for the leaders and the people of Timor-Leste to concentrate on social and economic development," he said.

Mr. Sharma and Timor-Leste President Xanana Gusmão and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri signed the transfer related to defence authority while UN Police Commissioner Sandra Peisley and Timor-Leste Police Commissioner Paulo Martins signed the police document.

"I express my profound gratitude to you for helping to build a culture of peace," President Gusmão said in words directed to the UN police and the peacekeeping forces.

The country's development partners, including the United Nations and international financial institutions, warmly praised the government at the Timor-Leste and Development Partners Meeting (TLDPM) which ended on 18 May in Dili.

 

Swiss Jurist Named New UN Legal Counsel 16

Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 18 May appointed a legal adviser and scholar from Switzerland as the new head of the United Nations legal office.

Nicolas Michel had been named Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel. Mr. Michel, a legal adviser with the Swiss Foreign Ministry, replaces Hans Corell of Sweden, who retired earlier this year from the post after 10 years of service with the UN. 

Mr. Michel is currently Chairman of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law of the Council of Europe. From 1998 to 2003 was the Director of the International Law Directorate in the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Prior to joining the Foreign Ministry in 1998, he spent nearly 10 years as a Professor of International Law and European Law at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

 

UN-Backed Treaty On Dangerous Pollutants Comes Into Force 17

An international treaty banning the world's most dangerous pesticides, industrial chemicals and hazardous by-products of combustion entered into force on 17 May, marking the start of an ambitious United Nations-backed effort to rid the planet of some of the worst pollutants tied to cancer, birth defects and immune system damage.

"The Stockholm Convention will save lives and protect the natural environment _ particularly in the poorest communities and countries _ by banning the production and use of some of the most toxic chemicals known to humankind," Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), under whose auspices the treaty was adopted, said in a statement on 14 May.

"Over the next several years national investments plus donor pledges of hundreds of millions will channel more than $500 million into an overdue and urgently needed initiative to ensure that future generations do not have to live as we do with measurable quantities of these toxic chemicals stored in their bodies," he said.

The 2001 Stockholm Convention deals with Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). For decades these highly toxic chemicals have killed and sickened people and animals by causing cancer and damaging the nervous, reproductive and immune systems. They have also caused uncounted birth defects.

Every human in the world carries traces in his or her body the highly stable compounds that can last for years or decades before breaking down. They circulate globally through a process known as the "grasshopper effect." POPs released in one part of the world can, through a repeated process of evaporation and deposit, be transported through the atmosphere to regions far away from the original source.

There are alternatives to most POPs but high costs, a lack of public awareness, and the absence of appropriate infrastructure and technology have often prevented their adoption. Solutions must be tailored to the specific properties and uses of each chemical, as well as to each country's climatic and socio-economic conditions.

The treaty seeks, among other measures, to reduce or eliminate the carcinogenic chemicals known as dioxins and furans, produced unintentionally as by-products of combustion, and assist countries in malarial regions to replace DDT with safe alternatives. The 12 POPs are aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene, dioxins and furans.

 

UNEP Helps Launch Campaign To Clean Up World's Seas 18

With 80 per cent of ocean pollution coming from land-based activities and half the coasts _ home to 1 billion people _ already threatened by development activity, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 14 May took part in the launch of a new campaign to clean up the seas by ensuring that people have access to toilets and safe drinking water.

"Achieving this will require alternatives to traditional large-scale investment projects," said Veerle Vandeweerd, UNEP Coordinator of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities. "We need more innovative approaches to technology, infrastructure development, financing and management, including more use of natural sewage filtering systems like ponds, reed beds and mangrove swamps."

The new campaign, launched in Cairns, Australia, along with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), is called "Wastewater Emission Targets _ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All, or WET-WASH.

"WET-WASH is significant because of the linkages between WETs and the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for water and sanitation that are vital for poverty alleviation and sustainable development efforts," WSSCC Chairman Jan Pronk said. The MDGs are a set of time-bound measurable goals that world leaders agreed to in 2000 that deal with halving extreme poverty and hunger, educational parity, eradicating diseases and illness and other global problems.

Globally, sewage is that largest source of marine contamination by volume; although industrial pollution and more diffuse sources, such as from agricultural practices and sedimentation due to deforestation and mining operations also pose a significant threat to the health and productivity of coastal resources.

According to UNEP, the global economic burden due to ill-health, disease and death related to the pollution of coastal waters is estimated at $16 billion a year. There are more and more so-called "dead zones," oxygen-starved areas in the world's oceans and seas whose proliferation could be a greater threat to fish stocks than over-fishing.

These dead zones are linked to an excess of nutrients, mainly nitrogen, that originate from agricultural fertilizers, vehicle and factory emissions and domestic wastes. Low-levels of oxygen in the water make it difficult for fish, oysters and other marine creatures to survive as well as for important habitats such as sea grass beds.

 

UN Honours Community Projects That Reduce Poverty Through Conservation 19

In celebration of the International Day for Biodiversity, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 19 May presented the Equator Prize to communities from Colombia, India and Namibia for their efforts to cut poverty.

The presentation of the Prize, which honours outstanding community projects that effectively reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, is part of a celebration and dialogue at Germany's Permanent Mission to the UN.

Colombia, India and Namibia were previously honoured along with Mexico, Indonesia, Tanzania and Brazil at an awards ceremony at the Seventh Conference of Parties (COP7) to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in February in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 

On World Telecommunication Day, S-G Calls For Eliminating `Digital Divide' 20

One hundred and sixty years almost to the day after Samuel Morse ushered in the dawn of the telecommunications age with a simple series of dots and dashes sent by telegraph, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to the world on 17 May to eliminate the "digital divide" between rich and poor nations.

"Access to information and technological know-how is essential if the world is to defeat hunger, protect the environment and achieve the other Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed by Heads of State and Government at the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000," Mr. Annan said in a message marking World Telecommunication Day.

"But to harness this potential, we need to forge global partnerships for development between governments, the private sector, civil society and the United Nations system," he added.

The MDGs seek to halve poverty and improve access to health care, education and sanitation among other targets by 2015.

"Today, many people could not imagine daily life without the use of increasingly sophisticated information and communication technologies (ICTs), from television and radio to the mobile telephone and the Internet," Mr. Annan said. "Yet for millions of people in the world's poorest countries, there remains a `digital divide' excluding them from the benefits of ICTs."

He noted that last December, at the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, leaders set out a shared vision of how the world can eliminate the digital divide in content and physical infrastructure in preparation for the second phase in Tunis next year.

"On World Telecommunication Day, let us resolve to do all we can to lead the way to a truly open, inclusive and prosperous telecommunications age," he concluded.

 

FAO: Biotech Foods Could Help Fight Hunger, But Poor Farmers Need More Attention 21

Biotechnology holds "great promise" for farmers and agriculture in the developing world, but so far, very few poor countries and only a handful of crops receive its benefits, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on 17 May.

The world's poor are missing out on the benefits from genetically modified food because research and technology is concentrated on big money crops _ cotton, maize, canola and soybean _ rather than on poor country staples like potatoes, cassava, rice and wheat, according to FAO's annual report, The State of Food and Agriculture 2003-04, released on 17 May.

"Neither the private nor the public sector has invested significantly in new genetic technologies for the so-called `orphan crops' such as cowpea, millet, sorghum and tef that are critical for the food supply and livelihoods of the world's poorest people," FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said.

"Other barriers that prevent the poor from accessing and fully benefiting from modern biotechnology include inadequate regulatory procedures, complex intellectual property issues, poorly functioning markets and seed delivery systems, and weak domestic plant breeding capacity," he added.

Drought and insect-resistant crops could boost yields and incomes while reducing food prices, the report says. And with the world population set to rise by two billion over the next 30 years, such crops could help meet food needs. The challenge is to develop technologies that combine several objectives _ increased yields and reduced costs, environment protection, consumer concerns for food safety and quality, enhanced rural livelihoods and food security.

The report stresses that biotechnology is much more than genetically modified organisms (GMOs), sometimes also called transgenic organisms. And while the potential benefits and risks need to be carefully assessed case by case, the controversy surrounding transgenics should not distract from the potential offered by other applications of biotechnology such as genomics, marker-assisted breeding and animal vaccines.

Still, biotechnology should complement _ not replace _ conventional agricultural technologies, the report says. Biotechnology can speed up conventional breeding programmes and may offer solutions where conventional methods fail.

It can provide farmers with disease-free planting materials and develop crops that resist pests and diseases, reducing the use of chemicals that harm the environment and human health. It can provide diagnostic tools and vaccines that help control devastating animal diseases, as well as improve the nutritional quality of staple foods and create new products for health and industrial uses.

But poor farmers can only benefit from biotechnology products if they "have access to them on profitable terms," the report says. "Thus far, these conditions are only being met in a handful of developing countries."

 

UNFPA: Development Efforts Must Be Culturally Sensitive 22

Making local alliances in culturally sensitive situations gives aid workers a greater chance of succeeding in their development efforts, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says in a new report.

"Social and cultural realities present challenges as well as opportunities for advancing development goals and human rights," said UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid. 

"This is particularly true when dealing with the issues of gender equality, HIV/AIDS, female genital cutting, violence against women, maternal health and family planning."

The report, "Working from Within: Culturally Sensitive Approaches in UNFPA Programming," highlights strategies, approaches and partnerships with local individuals and institutions in nine countries: Brazil, Cambodia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iran, Malawi, Uganda and Yemen.

Collaboration with influential religious, professional, trade union and business organizations led to a reduction of maternal mortality in Guatemala and promoted HIV/AIDS prevention in Uganda, it says.

"Working from Within" is being released in New York in time for the 21 May observance of the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

 

AIDS, Children, Empowering Women Central Themes As UN Marks Families Day 23

The impact of HIV/AIDS which has already orphaned 14 million children worldwide, the worst forms of child labour that affect 180 million youngsters, and the "critical" need to empower women were central themes of the International Day of Families celebrated throughout the United Nations system on 15 May.

This year's celebration carried special significance as 2004 marks the 10th anniversary of the International Year of the Family.

Progress has been made in instituting national programmes of action and integrating family perspectives in national legislation and policy, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message noting that the well-being of families has become a central focus of all concerned with national development and poverty eradication.

"Yet more needs to be done," he declared. "On this International Day of Families, I urge governments, civil society and individuals to keep working for policies and programmes that recognize and support the contributions each family makes to its members, its community and its society."

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) highlighted the particular urgency for families affected by HIV/AIDS, whose toll of orphaned children is expected to exceed 25 million by 2010, and the vital role of women. "Increasingly, adolescent girls and grandmothers are becoming heads of households and they need increased support," UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said in her message.

"There is a mountain of research to show that empowering women and ensuring women's rights benefits families," she added. "When women are educated and healthy and can plan their families and earn an income, they put these resources to work for their families. The children are healthier and better educated, and the benefits are passed from one generation to the next. However, when girls are valued less than boys, kept out of school, or married as child brides, the family itself is threatened by the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and poor health that often ensues."

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that children growing up without parental care were at greater risk of violence, exploitation, trafficking and discrimination. 

"Family is a child's first line of protection," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said. "Being deprived of parental support can be devastating. Without this essential buffer, children are immediately more vulnerable to abuse of their most basic rights." 

She noted that some 246 million children work, with about 180 million engaged in the worst forms of child labour, and that ensuring that all children, especially girls and children without parental support, can attend school was one of UNICEF's key missions.

 

UNICEF: Religious Groups Crucial In Worldwide Vaccination Campaigns 24

Partnering with religious groups is crucial to the successful implementation of vaccination programmes worldwide, according to a new guide launched by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) highlighting the increasing importance of community organizations in global public health initiatives.

"There are many communities without schools, health facilities or sanitation but there is hardly any community without a place of worship," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said in a statement on the guide's launch on 13 May in Geneva at a two-day meeting of experts on immunization. "The active participation of religious groups is therefore crucial to the success of any community-based initiative."

Over 50 public health and religious community insiders attended the conference, "Building Trust: Religious Groups, the Media and Immunization," jointly organized by UNICEF, the World Conference on Religion for Peace (WRCP) and the Communication for Social Change Consortium _ the first in a series geared at integrating religious communities in immunization efforts.

In India, Muslim leaders are working with UNICEF to counter resistance to polio vaccination in their communities, through informal discussion as well as public talks.

"UNICEF has had a long relationship with faith-based organizations in working to improve the health and well-being of children," Ms. Bellamy said. "We will strengthen this relationship to build a world where all children will have the opportunity to realize their potential."

 

Asian, North African Countries Close To Ending Polio With Help Of UN 25

With several Asian and North African countries expected to be polio-free within months, regional health ministers on 17 May joined a United Nations-led eradication initiative to announce a two-pronged strategy to "mop up" new cases and to help put countries in West and Central Africa back on track to stamp out the virus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), recent figures show Asia and North Africa together reporting only 21 cases of polio in 2004, compared to 94 this time last year. And with the all-time low levels of polio in Egypt, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, four of the six remaining endemic countries are on track to meet the target for stopping the spread of the virus by the end of the year.

Heath Ministers from those countries announced an accelerated strategy to "mop-up" each new virus. Under this ambitious initiative, each new poliovirus found will trigger two massive, tailored immunization campaigns in response, targeting between one and five million children, before the virus has the opportunity to spread.

The picture is a bit more challenging for countries in West and Central Africa, due in part to an ongoing outbreak originating in northern Nigeria, where immunization campaigns have been suspended since August.