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23 October, 2004
 

Table Of Contents

 

Secretary-General: Elections In Iraq On Track 1

Elections in Iraq, scheduled for January 2005, are on track and should take place if the situation holds, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on 19 October.

Speaking in London, where he held talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and other senior officials of the United Kingdom, the Secretary-General noted that there is a United Nations team in Iraq working with the country's Independent Electoral Commission to set up the elections.

"We are giving them good support, we are assisting and advising their efforts," he said during a press conference with Mr. Straw. "And for the moment, we believe we are on track and if things go well and everyone does what they are supposed to do, and the environment holds, we should be able to have the elections."

He added that Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had told him that they were "determined to go ahead with the elections in January…They have ownership and we will support their efforts." 

During a press encounter following their meeting, the Secretary-General was asked again about Iraq. "I've indicated that any government with capacity and ability to help should do what they can to help stabilize Iraq so that they can get on with their lives," he replied. "And I indicated that security is absolutely essential for us to carry on reconstruction and all the wonderful plans we have for Iraq."

* * *

Elections scheduled for next January in Iraq are still "technically possible" but security must improve in order for the United Nations to be able to send in more personnel to help with the planning, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on 21 October.

Speaking to reporters upon arriving at UN Headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General stressed that it was up to the Iraqis _ "who are planning the elections, who are organizing the elections" _ to decide if the polls go forward.

"We still have a couple of months yet. But at this point, it is still technically possible, depending upon what happens in the next couple of months," he said.

The Secretary-General acknowledged that additional UN staff must be sent to Iraq as developments move forward. "But the circumstances have to be conducive in the sense that either we have to notice a genuine improvement in the security environment or solid arrangements for the protection of the staff," he said.

The United Nations announced on 20 October that Fiji has agreed to provide a protective security detail for senior UN officials in Iraq, as well as a guard unit for its facilities in Baghdad.

Talks are still ongoing with the United States-led multinational force (MNF) on a unit to provide UN perimeter security, as well as armed escorts for UN personnel as they travel outside the international zone in Baghdad.

Mr. Annan said the MNF has indicated that it "will do that and we are in discussions with them to determine exactly how they will do it and what their capacity is for us to make the judgments that we have to make."

 

S-G Outlines Requirements For Successful Peacekeeping 2

Adequate security, a well-defined and realistic mission and long-term commitment to success are among the key requirements for successful peacekeeping, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on 18 October in Ulster, Northern Ireland.

"I do not think it coincidental that, in the case of the failures, either there was no peace to keep or peace agreements proved fragile because the underlying causes of conflict had not been resolved," he said in a speech at the Magee campus of the University of Ulster.

"We must know the limits of what is achievable by the United Nations," Mr. Annan said, stressing that it is important "not to allow ourselves to be used as a fig leaf for lack of political will by the international community to deal effectively with an issue." 

Success comes when there is a clear and achievable mandate, he said, citing the UN's stewardship of East Timor and Namibia. The situation in Kosovo - marred by disagreement on means and goals - stands in contrast, he said.

Another critical lesson is to "never neglect security," said the Secretary-General. "Without security almost everything else is impossible: no effective government, no reconstruction, no return of refugees, no return to school, no elections."

He also cautioned against outsized expectations and stressed the need for a long-term commitment to peace, pointing out that nearly half of all accords collapse within five years. Efforts stall as interest flags, he said. "Political engagement and financial support are drawn down just when the process needs a second wind." 

He called for all concerned - the Security Council, countries, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), warring parties and the citizens concerned - to "stay the course."

Warning against "the peril of trying to do things in the wrong order," he said respect for the rule of law must precede elections, social stability should come before full economic liberalization, and the economy must be growing before the international community disengages. "It should be no surprise that in the poorest countries, like Haiti and Liberia, peace processes failed and conflicts lapsed back into violence."

The most important lesson of all - "for me personally, and for the United Nations as an organization - is that we must always be listening and looking out for new knowledge," he declared.

 

S-G: Gender Balance In UN Peacekeeping Has Improved 3

In the four years that have elapsed since the Security Council voted to improve the ratio of women to men dealing with peace and security issues, the greatest progress has been made in United Nations peacekeeping missions, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says.

"The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations has increasingly paid attention to issues concerning women, peace and security and has called for the full implementation of the resolution," he says in a report to the Council.

"Today, gender concerns are raised in all new peacekeeping mandates and there are 10 full-time gender adviser positions in 17 peacekeeping operations, including those in: Afghanistan, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro), Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste, as well as in the advance mission in the Sudan." 

Using a wide range of women's experiences, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is testing gender-based early warning indicators of brewing conflicts, including sex-specific refugee migrations, rising violence against women, media scapegoating of women and silencing women leaders through intimidation, he says.

For post-conflict work, the UN and some Member States have been training troops, civilian police and peacekeeping personnel on the protection, rights and needs of women, as well as on HIV/AIDS awareness, while the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), in particular, has been improving its guidance on gender issues in multi-dimensional operations, he says.

The UN Institute on Training and Research (UNITAR) has conducted training courses for civilian personnel on the issues faced by women and children in half a dozen peacekeeping missions and police units have been set up to deal with violence against women and children, Mr. Annan says.

Human trafficking has emerged as a problem for some missions and new information packages have included model legislation and awareness-raising materials, he says.

In the peacebuilding process, Mr. Annan says, "I intend to review the extent to which women have participated and their concerns have been met in truth and reconciliation processes and make recommendations to guide the development of future reconciliation processes.

"I also intend to set indicators and benchmarks for women's equal participation in all aspects of the elections process, based on a review of good practices."

 

S-G: Women Still Face Obstacles In Reaching Senior Staff Positions At UN 4

The United Nations has given itself a mixed report card for its efforts to reach the General Assembly's target of equality between the numbers of men and women in professional and managerial staffing.

A report from Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Assembly says although the proportion of women at those levels in the Secretariat, with contracts for one year or longer, rose 1.7 percent last year to 37.4 per cent on 30 June of this year, "the analysis of the longer-term trends portrays a picture of uneven progress in women's representation at all levels."

The reasons cited include unacknowledged biases among hiring managers who are not being held accountable. Another cause relates to expectations that managers must "work long hours and always be available," thereby fostering imbalances between work and home life.

In addition, jobs for spouses of UN employees are not always easy to find in UN host countries and permission to work is sometimes slow in coming, making transfers impossible for some families, the survey adds. The UN, however, has become the second largest client of partnerjob.com, a non-profit agency which aims to find jobs for spouses of transferred staff.

The annual growth rate towards the 50/50 goal is expected to rise by only 0.4 per cent in professional and higher categories for appointments of one year or more, the report says.

It recommends some three dozen measures to deal with all the obstacles to women's advancement that have been found so far while suggesting a deeper examination of other obstructions that are more difficult to analyze because "barriers to career progression for women become more informal and, thus, harder to identify, particularly at the more senior levels of the Organization."

An accompanying chart shows that on 30 June of this year women formed 83.3 per cent of staff at the lowest professional level, the P-1, but 16.7 per cent of the highest staff level, the Under-Secretaries-General.

For positions filled according to geographical region, women make up 42.3 percent of staff and the ratio is growing by 1 per cent per year, the report says.

Meanwhile, "the Secretary-General fully shares the views of the General Assembly regarding the issue of creating a work environment in the United Nations system that is free of harassment, especially sexual harassment, and remains firmly committed to a zero-tolerance policy in this regard."

 

Ballot Counting Proceeds Apace In Afghanistan 5

Some 80,000 ballots in Afghanistan's historic presidential election have already been tallied, and the process is proceeding at a steady pace, a United Nations spokesman announced on 16 October.

"Since this morning all eight counting centres began mixing, sorting and counting ballots," Manoel de Almeida de Silva told journalists in Kabul. All ballot boxes from all locations are expected to arrive at the centres by 17 October.

He also reported that on 14 October, the Impartial Panel of International Experts set up to look into complaints about the election process had met with a dozen candidates or their representatives. "The meeting was very cordial and open, enabling a frank and constructive exchange."

The Panel, which has about 100 written complaints from just about every candidate, is going through each. "Further meetings with the candidates, as the investigation moves on, are also expected to take place," Mr. de Almeida e Silva said.

* * *

Most of the 285 formal complaints about Afghanistan's election concern ink used to mark voters, the UN mission in the country said on 20 October.

For about 180 of the complaints, action has either been taken or has started, or is not required, Manoel de Almeida e Silva, spokesman for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said at a press briefing in the capital Kabul.

More than 45 per cent of the complaints to the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) concerned the application of indelible ink, he said. Other grievances were of a general nature about the process itself, dealt with polling personnel, a shortage of polling material, multiple voting, under-age voters or insufficient voter education.

Meanwhile, the three-member panel of experts looking into the complaints were at a counting centre in Gardez, where ballot boxes that were deemed problematic were isolated. They have already visited the station in Kabul.

 

Sec-Gen Calls On Myanmar Leaders To Remain Committed To Democratization 6

Concerned by reports of the dismissal and detention of the Prime Minister of Myanmar, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 19 October called on the country's authorities to remain committed to the process of national reconciliation and democratization.

A spokesperson for the Secretary-General said Mr. Annan is concerned about the events that unfolded overnight in Yangon, including reports that Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt was removed from office and put under house arrest.

Noting the change in the top leadership of the Government, the Secretary-General urges the authorities "to resume as soon as possible substantive dialogue with the National League for Democracy (NLD) and other political parties, as well as furthering its dialogue with ethnic nationality ceasefire and non-ceasefire groups," said Marie Okabe.

The Secretary-General is also concerned about the welfare of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her deputy, U Tin Oo, who have been kept under house arrest since May 2003. "He reiterates his call on the Myanmar authorities to release them without further delay," she added.

 

Highlighting Insecurity In Sudan's Darfur, UN Urges Support For African Force 7

The United Nations mission in Sudan on 19 October said the security situation remains tense in the Darfur region, while Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged support for African Union (AU) efforts to bolster its monitoring and protection presence there.

The UN Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS) reported incidents including possible ceasefire violations, an attack on a village, another on a convoy of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), militia activities and rape cases.

Underscoring the importance of safety for the people of Darfur, Mr. Annan said all sides must respect the ceasefire and take measures to protect civilians, even before the arrival of AU troops.

Speaking at a press conference in London with the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, the Secretary-General noted that every effort is being made to send in the African monitors and protective force, "and I think their presence will also make quite a lot of difference."

Earlier this month, given the planned expansion of the AU's current 350-strong group of monitors, Mr. Annan recommended that the AU force be given the power to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, including those living in makeshift camps; monitor the activities of the local police; and disarm fighters, including the Janjaweed militias accused of committing most of the attacks against civilians.

With additional humanitarian workers being sent in, "I think…that many people would also help dissuade the attacks," he added. "On the security side we need to do everything and give the African Union the support to go in there. And we should press the parties, the government and the rebels, to go back to the table and discuss seriously, in the spirit of compromise, to find a political solution."

He also noted a $200 million shortfall in funding for relief activities and voiced hope that donor countries will do everything needed to provide resources for the UN's humanitarian effort.

"We need to provide humanitarian assistance in the quantities that are required. Not just give them food
and shelter, but also the non-food items - health, sanitation and other aspects," he stressed.

 

Nepal 8

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 21 October welcomed the decisions by Maoist insurgents and the Government of Nepal to halt fighting temporarily in observance of a national holiday.

"The Secretary-General considers this to be a positive first step towards the possible resumption of a peace process in Nepal, which he believes to be a matter of urgent importance," said a statement issued by Mr. Annan's spokesman.

The Maoist Communist Party of Nepal announced that it would suspend military action for nine days, coinciding with the Nepalese Dashain festivals that began yesterday, while the Government decided it would not initiate offensives against the rebels.

The statement said Mr. Annan strongly encouraged the Government and Maoists "to extend the suspension of hostilities beyond the holiday period in the interest of peace and the restoration of a degree of normalcy, which ordinary Nepalese citizens desperately need."

Through his spokesman, the Secretary-General also stressed his availability "to assist in any manner that would lead to the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Nepal."

 

Biodiversity Losses Threaten World's 900 Million Rural Poor, UN Says 9

An unprecedented loss of biodiversity has reduced the amount of food available to the world's 900 million rural poor and should receive widespread attention, UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette said on 18 October .

"Given the growing interdependence among countries and expanding trade in agricultural goods and services, maintaining biodiversity for food security is as much a global priority as a local one," she said at a commemoration in New York of World Food Day.

"Many freshwater fish species, which can provide crucial dietary diversity to the poorest households, have become extinct, and many of the world's most important fisheries have been decimated," Ms. Fréchette noted.

She pointed out that biodiversity is key to fertilizing soil, recycling nutrients, regulating pests and diseases, controlling erosion and pollinating many of crops and trees.

"And it is knowledge of biodiversity - notably by farmers responsible for their families' health and well-being - that can ensure food availability during periods of crisis, such as civil conflicts, natural calamities, or disabling diseases," she said. 

World Food Day takes place annually on 16 October, the day on which FAO was founded in 1945 in Quebec City, and was observed at FAO headquarters in Rome last Friday.

In Africa's Great Lakes valleys, the forests of the Amazon, or Southeast Asia's river systems, "women and men farmers apply their formidable experience to harvest plants, raise livestock and fish every day to ensure their families' food security," Ms. Fréchette said. "Their knowledge, as much as that of any research institution, is crucial to our future."

 

Toxic Gases From Indoor Solid-Fuel Cooking Fires Put Families At Risk 10

Families in the world's poorest countries can contract fatal pulmonary diseases from burning solid fuels that give off toxic gases in their poorly ventilated kitchens, two United Nations agencies said on 15 October, estimating the risk to be the equivalent of each resident smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

"Thick acrid smoke rising from stoves and fires inside homes is associated with around 1.6 million deaths per year in developing countries _ that's one life lost every 20 seconds to the killer in the kitchen," the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a message to mark World Rural Women's Day on 15 October.

Cleaner gases, liquids and electricity are currently the main alternatives but the WHO-backed Global Partnership for Clean Indoor Air is also coordinating research into cleaner fuels, stoves and smoke hoods.

In the meantime, nearly half the world still cooks with wood, agricultural residues, coal and dried dung, according to the agencies. "Smoke from burning these fuels gives off a poisonous cocktail of particles and chemicals that bypasses the body's defences and more than doubles the risk of respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia," they said.

Poor rural women typically spend up to three mornings a week collecting fuel, denying themselves the opportunity of looking for paid work to raise family incomes, improve living standards and improve their nutrition and health, WHO and UNDP said.

In some circumstances, such as the ethnic crisis in Darfur, Sudan, "the chore has taken on a perilous dimension following the rape, kidnap, beatings and murder of women leaving refugee camps to search for wood."

The two institutions called on governments, civil society and the aid community to pay the same attention to the "killer in the kitchen" as they pay to other major threats.

 

Tharoor : Public Information Critical Element Of UN's Success 11

Public information is a critically important element of the success of the United Nations, and the world body has managed to develop innovative ways to engage more people, the UN's top communications official said on 19 October.

That task was particularly difficult, however, within budgetary constraints and in "a world in which many discordant notes were struck by competing voices," noted Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information.

The UN Department of Public Information (DPI) has risen to the challenge by honing its communication tools, sharpening its focus and reaching out to newer audiences, using new technologies and forging closer partnerships with civil society, Mr. Tharoor told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) as he introduced Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report on questions relating to information.

Such innovations included the launch in May of a listing of "Ten stories the world should hear more about," which came about because news on Iraq seemed to be eclipsing all other important stories, he noted.

DPI would also continue to promote the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) although it was particularly difficult to get coverage of development issues because the media was mainly interested in conflict, he said.

The communications chief also described developments in other areas, such as ongoing improvements in DPI's strategic work with Peacekeeping and other UN Secretariat Departments, and capacity-building media monitoring and analysis.

The Department has also taken steps to strengthen its information presence in the Arab world, among other things by establishing a focal point for Arab media. In addition, an intensive review of library services had been undertaken, Mr. Tharoor said, and the web site and news centre had expanded their multilingual services and usage.