Good News Agency – Year III, n° 4
Weekly - Year III, number 4
– 23 February 2002
Managing Editor: Sergio Tripi,
Ph. D.
Rome Law-court registration
no. 265 dated 20 June 2000.
Good News Agency carries positive and constructive news from all over the world
relating to voluntary work, the work of the United Nations, non governmental
organizations, and institutions engaged in improving the quality of life – news
that doesn’t “burn out” in the space of a day.
Good News Agency is
distributed through Internet to the editorial offices of more than 2,400 media in 46
countries, as well as to 1,000 NGO.
Human rights - International
legislation - Peace and safety - Economy
and development
Solidarity - Health
- Energy and safety - Environment and wildlife
- Culture and education
UN
Secretary-General's briefing to Security Council on Middle East
Bellamy and Otunnu hail entry
into force of Optional Protocol on Child Soldiers
New York, 12 February - The
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed
Conflict, Olara Otunnu and UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, today
hailed the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. The
protocol prohibits the use of child soldiers.
"Children have no place in war and
deserve the highest level of international protection to keep them from being
used as child soldiers" said Mr. Otunnu. "This new treaty is a
victory for children who have been neglected, abused and sexually exploited by
warring factions for decades." (…)
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/02pr04op.htm
Africa: Three-day seminar on
humanitarian law
Abidjan, 15 February - The
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Friday that it
will hold a three-day international law seminar that will focus on protection
of civilians in armed conflicts in Africa. The seminar, which begins on Monday,
will be held in Niamey, Niger.
Participants will include
representatives from civil society, and international law specialists. Emphasis
will be placed on parliamentarians from Africa to whom ICRC hopes to impart
international humanitarian law concepts. Strategies to promote it within their
respective parliaments will also be examined.
The seminar is organised in
collaboration with the African interparliamentary union, Canada, Norway and
Switzerland, ICRC said.
Tanzania: Humanitarian message strong in peacekeepers'
training
Nairobi, 15 February - The International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Tanzanian Red Cross Society are currently taking
part in a French-sponsored support exercise for African peacekeepers in an
effort to impart important humanitarian principles to the participating
soldiers.
The military exercise, dubbed Exercise Tanzanite, has
brought together more than 2,000 troops from 16 African nations, as well as
military observers from around the world, in an effort to improve coordination
between different African armies and enhance the ability of African governments
to cope with political and humanitarian crises.
The Red Cross movement, through its participation,
hopes to familiarise the military forces with its humanitarian operations to
protect and assist the victims of armed conflict. (…)
Vienna, 5 February – Steps to improve
information sharing and best practices across the United Nations and other
partners in the fight against corruption have been discussed at an interagency
anti-corruption coordination meeting in Vienna on 4 and 5 February 2002. (…)
Each of the participating agencies
presented the initiatives they had been taking in assisting countries and
organisations to fight corruption. There followed a discussion of the
desirability for better coordination and cooperation in these efforts, a
discussion on monitoring of international conventions, and a discussion on the
current initiative to draft a UN Convention against Corruption.
The meeting concluded that there are clear advantages
for the improvement of information sharing and increased cooperation and
coordination in the delivery of assistance to countries and to organisations.
These include avoidance of duplication and an ability to learn from the
experience of others in exercises similar to those being undertaken. The
capture of the necessary information will encompass both past and present
projects and will be made available on a timely basis in a format discussed
during the meeting. This information could be made available on the Internet on
a restricted basis. (…)
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2002-02-05_1.html
Central African Republic
launches national disarmament campaign
11 February - Prime Minister
Martin Ziguele of the Central African Republic has launched a national
disarmament and arms collection programme, a vital step towards curbing the
threat small arms pose to peace and security.
General Lamine Cisse,
Representative of the UN Secretary-General, and other speakers at the recent
launch in Bangui, the country's capital, underscored the importance disarmament
for restoring peace and security to encourage refugees to return home, attract
foreign investment and promote human development. Gen. Cisse is head of the UN Peace-Building Support Office in
the Central African Republic (BONUCA). (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
First pan-european conference
on food safety and quality to be held in Budapest
Rome/Budapest, 20
February - For the first time more than
40 European countries will meet to discuss food safety and quality issues, and
how to strengthen consumer confidence after recent food scares. The
"Pan-European Conference on Food Safety and Quality" will be held in
Budapest, 25-28 February 2002. The meeting is jointly organised by the UN Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It
is co-sponsored by the European Community and some FAO/WHO member countries,
according to a statement issued by the two UN agencies. (…)
Representatives
of governments, industry and consumer organisations will discuss food safety
and quality threats, food-borne diseases, the expansion of a Rapid Alert System
outside the EU and better communication with the consumer.
The meeting will also make
proposals on how to improve the different levels of food safety, regulations
and control systems in eastern and western European countries. (…)
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/english/2002/2801-en.html
IFAD to provide USD 22 Million for microfinance
programme worth USD 134 million in the Republic of India
Rome, 18 February – A USD 134 million programme in the Republic of
India, the “National Microfinance Support
Programme” will receive a USD 22 million
loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). A loan
agreement was signed today at the Fund’s Headquarters by Dr. Adarsh Kishore,
Additional Secretary, DEA, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, Mr. P. B.
Nimbalkar, Chairman and Managing Director, Small Industries Development Bank of
India (SIDBI) and Mr. Lennart Båge, President of the Fund.
Realising that the microfinance is an important tool for empowerment,
sustainable social and economic progress and a key strategy for poverty
alleviation, the Government of India has made concerted efforts over the last
three decades, to provide financial services to the poor through formal
financial institutions (FFIs). (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2002/10-02.htm
IFAD to support an agricultural modernization
programme in the Republic of Uganda
Rome, 15 February – A USD 16.1 million project in the Republic of
Uganda, the ‘Area-Based Agricultural
Modernization Programme’ will receive
a USD 13.2 million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD). A loan agreement was signed today at the Fund, by His
Excellency, Vincent Kirabokyamaria and Mr. Lennart Båge, President of IFAD.
The programme is targeted to cover ten districts in southwest Uganda;
the intended beneficiaries of the programme include rural dwellers that make up
90% of the area’s 5.3 million inhabitants. There are two major target groups:
economically active smallholders living in the rural areas who wish to
participate in commercial agriculture; and existing or potential small-scale
entrepreneurs and business associations who provide services to rural
households. Among the target group, women play a major role in crop and
livestock production, processing and small enterprise operations. Although the
programme area has a high agricultural potential, varying factors limit the
involvement of smallholders in farming operations as a commercially viable
business.
The overall goal of the programme is to increase incomes and food
security among poor rural households with the objective of modernizing
agriculture in the ten districts. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2002/07-02.htm
Pakistan: Internet project for
farmers launched
Islamabad, 15 February - A Pakistani web
site focusing on the development of agriculture and rural communities has
launched a mobile Internet information unit to promote the information highway
among farmers, an executive of the site told IRIN on Friday. (…) Once
conversant with the Internet and its possibilities, farmers can download the
latest information on weather, seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, crop diseases
and how to obtain loans. At present they rely on state-run radio broadcasts or
rural community coordinators for this kind of information. The Internet can
also be utilised for information exchanges between farming communities.
This is the first time such a concept has
been launched in Pakistan, a country where 70 percent of the population live in
rural areas, but where Internet usage remains extremely low, especially outside
cities. (…)
Chad: European Commission funds development programme
15 February - The European Commission and the
government of Chad signed a cooperation agreement on Monday that will enable
the West African nation to benefit from European funds amounting to €202
million (US $176 million) over the next five years, the EC said. The money,
drawn from the European Development Fund, will target various sectors,
including poverty-reduction programmes, roads and transportation, health, good
governance, promotion of democracy and civil society. The funds, which the EC
says are non-repayable, will cover programmes from 2002 to 2007.
Globalisation yet to work for
the poor in south Asia: report
New
Delhi, 14 February – Major rethinking is needed on globalisation in South Asia
for social costs to be minimised and economic benefits to be maximised.
This is the principal message of the new Human Development in South Asia 2001
Report that was launched in India, here today. The Report, prepared by the
Islamabad (Pakistan)-based Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre addresses the
theme of Globalisation and Human Development. The India launch was jointly
organised by the Parliamentarians Forum for Human Development (PFHD) and the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (…)
http://www.undp.org.in/news/press/press235.htm
UNDP's
'Currency of Ideas' a critical input in India’s development effort, says
government
New
Delhi, 13 February – The Government of India values the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) for its 'currency of ideas' and the value it has
added to the entire macro development effort in the country. This was
stated by the Union Secretary, Economic Affairs, Mr.C.M. Vasudev at the
concluding session of the two-day Stakeholders Meeting. The meeting,
organised by UNDP to discuss the findings of an independent review of the
Country Cooperation Framework (CCF-I) 1997-2002 and to lay the roadmap for
UNDP's new programming cycle, 2003-2007 (to harmonise with the Tenth Five Year
Plan) for India, was attended by over 150 senior representatives from the
Central and State Governments, voluntary and research organisations, donor agencies,
academia, media and the corporate sector. (…)
http://www.undp.org.in/news/press/press234.htm
African countries urge world
leaders to attend World Food Summit: five years later
Cairo, 8 February -
Agriculture Ministers and delegates from 45 African countries today urged world
leaders to attend the World Food Summit: five years later (WFS: fyl), in Rome,
Italy from 10 to 13 June, 2002. The call came as they concluded the UN Food and
Agriculture Organization's (FAO) 22nd Regional Conference for Africa meeting in
Cairo since 4 February.
The WFS: fyl was called to
mobilize political will and the monetary resources needed to reduce by half the
number of the hungry in the world by 2015, in line with a commitment by heads
of State and government of some 186 countries at the 1996 World Food Summit in
Rome. At the time, the number of hungry people in the world was believed to be
841 million. To reach the goal of the World Food Summit, the ranks of the
hungry would have to be reduced by 20 million people a year. But, FAO
statistics show that since 1996 hunger number is declining annually by only 6
million. (…)
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/english/2002/2600-en.html
WFP food distributions in Zimbabwe get underway
Harare (Zimbabwe), 21 February - The United
Nations World Food Programme started its first emergency food aid distributions
in Zimbabwe yesterday, delivering a one-month ration of maize-meal to 40,000
people threatened by serious food shortages in Hwange, Matabeleland North.
The distribution, which is being carried out by WFP
partner the Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP), is part of
WFP’s larger operation to hand out one-month food rations to more than 100,000
people over the next two weeks. Distributions to reach some 558,000 people in
Zimbabwe’s 19-worst-affected districts in the south, west and extreme north
will resume after the March election period.
WFP started a large-scale feeding programme for more than half a million
people in Zimbabwe last year after erratic rainfall, a strong economic downturn
coupled with a sharp rise in staple food prices, and disruption to the
commercial farming sector due to land acquisition activities led to serious
food shortages. Zimbabwe is normally a food surplus country. (…)
http://www.wfp.org/newsroom/subsections/year.asp?section=13#
Nigeria: Local Red Cross aids 20,000 IDPs
15 February - The Nigerian Red Cross began
distributing food aid on Thursday to more than 20,000 people displaced by
unrest in central Nigeria since last year, the Red Cross said in a
statement. The displaced people live in
camps in the central state of Benue, which is populated mainly by the Tiv
ethnic group. Some fled clashes in June 2001 between Tivs and Azeris in
Nasarawa State (west of Benue). Others were displaced by fighting between Tivs
and Jukuns in Taraba State to the east. Still others fled reprisal attacks by
the military against Tiv communities after 19 soldiers were killed by a Tiv
militia.
The statement said that the food distribution, the
fourth phase of relief assistance to victims of last year's clashes, was being
done in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies with financial assistance from the British Department for
International Development.
Luxembourg and Sweden help
alleviate Palestinians' hardships
13 February - Luxembourg and
Sweden are supporting projects carried out by the UNDP Programme of Assistance
to the Palestinian People (UNDP/PAPP) to aid Palestinians facing severe
difficulties as the result of the crisis in the area.
Luxembourg is contributing
US$2 million for emergency assistance for employment, education and water
supply. Half the funds will provide employment for workers who have lost their
jobs as a result of closure policies imposed throughout the West Bank. The
workers will be hired to rehabilitate and expand deteriorated schools in the
West Bank. (…)
Sweden has contributed $1.5
million for training courses for unemployed professionals and workers.
"The project employs a new and innovative approach to job creation through
training," said Mr. Rothermel.
The initiative uses the
resources of 75 civil society groups and private sector institutions, which
have trained more than 2,400 unemployed university graduates and 1,495 workers,
more than one third of them women. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Africa: Making VCT more
youth-friendly
15 February - Voluntary
counseling and testing (VCT) programmes have been known to increase the
adoption of safe sex behaviour among adults, but not all VCT services are
effective and appropriate for young people, a study has found.
In both Kenya and Uganda,
large numbers of young people were aware that HIV testing was available to them
but far fewer were aware of a facility close to where they lived. More than 75
percent of untested youth in Kenya and about 90 percent in Uganda expressed an
interest in getting a test.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSReport.ASP?ReportID=1218&SelectRegion=Africa&SelectCountry=AFRICA
Côte d'Ivoire mobilizes high level commitment against
HIV/AIDS
Friday, 15 February - Côte d'Ivoire is making the
campaign against HIV/AIDS a national priority under the leadership of President
Laurent Gbagbo.
At a recent ministerial conference in Abidjan to mobilize
top government officials, the HIV/AIDS ministry presented a preliminary version
of a US$27 million national plan for 2002 - 2004. Participants included 14
government ministers and their chiefs of cabinet, heads of a number of UN
agencies and other development partners.
The national plan includes HIV/AIDS prevention
activities focusing on youth, women, mobile populations and sex workers;
treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and promotion of condom use; and
steps to reduce traditional practices contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
It also supports measures to reduce the social and economic impact of the
epidemic and protection and care for people living with HIV/AIDS. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Afghanistan: WHO sends huge consignment of medical
supplies
15 February - The World Health Organisation (WHO) has
dispatched 300 mt of medicines and supplies to help three million people
survive Afghanistan's harsh winter, a spokesperson for the agency told IRIN on
Monday. "In a humanitarian crisis, food, shelter, and water are the
essential components needed to save lives, but without medicines to treat
common diseases, fatality rates can skyrocket," Lori Hieber-Girardet said
in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. (…) According to WHO, the biggest killers
of Afghans are measles, acute respiratory infections, pregnancy-related
complications, diarrhoea and tuberculosis.
USA and Vietnam will assess effects of toxic chemical
sprayed by USA during the war
12 February - Four decades after the U.S. started
using Agent Orange in Vietnam, the two countries will begin working together to
assess the effects of the toxic chemical on human health and the
environment. Agent Orange is a defoliant that contains TCDD, the most
dangerous form of dioxin, which causes cancer, immune system malfunction, and
birth defects. The U.S. sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange on
Vietnam from 1962 to 1971 in a frustrated effort to expose the enemy and win
the war by denying forest cover to jungle fighters. The practice
created one of the most enduring, damaging, and controversial legacies of the
conflict; in the first decade after the war, about 50,000 children were born
with deformities or paralyses attributed to Agent Orange. Delegates from
the two countries will begin to discuss joint research into the effects at a
four-day conference in Hanoi starting in early March.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/14493/story.htm
International AIDS Candlelight Memorial - May 19
The Memorial will take place in more than 1,000
communities and 80 countries. The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is
designed to honour the memory of those lost to HIV/AIDS, show support for those
living with HIV/AIDS, raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, and mobilise community
involvement in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This year's theme is "Share
Your Vision for a Brighter Tomorrow."
For more information on becoming a Candlelight
Coordinator or to sponsor a community, visit the website http://www.candlelightmemorial.org/
E-mail
Matthew Matassa mmatassa@globalhealth.org
WHO and UNICEF helping respond
to new polio cases at Angola/Zambia border
Maximum vigilance against
virus importations urged as global polio eradication nears
Brazzaville/Nairobi: The UN
agencies involved in the global effort to eradicate polio are helping to plan a
major immunization drive in western Zambia and eastern Angola, in response to
three polio cases virologically confirmed amongst Angolan refugees. Two joint
World Health Organization / United Nations Children’s Fund missions, one to
Zambia and one to Angola, are joining the national ministries of health to
determine if the virus has spread and to help plan the responsive polio
vaccination campaign.
"The challenge will be to
reach every child in order to contain the virus, including in areas we have not
been able to access in the past, " said Dr Stella Goings, the UNICEF
Representative for Zambia. "But, in our efforts to reach these unprotected
children, we must ensure the safety of the health workers and the
volunteers." (…)
http://www.who.int/inf/en/WHO-UNICEF-pr-2002-01.html
New WHO guide sets the gold
standard in health advice for travellers
Travelling does mean taking
risks - but not necessarily the ones you think
A new guide for
international travellers offers an unparalleled range of advice, on subjects
from air travel to yellow fever, on how to avoid infectious diseases and on why
you're more likely to be run over by a car than succumb to plague or the Ebola
virus. International travel and
health sets the gold standard for travel care. This concise but comprehensive
book - and accompanying website (http://www.who.int/ith/) - draws on the World
Health Organization's (WHO) global network of medical information to provide
the very latest advice on prevention, vaccination, and what to do when
travellers do fall ill. The book profiles the more than 30 infectious diseases which are of most
significance to travellers, giving clear advice on risks and preventive
measures that should be taken. (…)
http://www.who.int/inf/en/pr-2002-09.html
Clean Your Air to launch million dollar multi-media
campaign for clean electricity in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA, February 15 - Clean Your Air (CYA), a
campaign developed by the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition (MAREC),
today announced that it will begin a million dollar multi-media campaign on
February 18 in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets, designed to educate and
persuade consumers to switch to clean electricity.
For full Text:
http://www.ewire-news.com/wires/78A9676F-9AAE-408A-A2FB6BD276ECE65E.htm
Hotspots study sounds alarm
for extinctions in the ocean
First survey to identify top
ten coral reef hotspots
Paris/Nairobi, 14 February -
The world's top 10 coral reef hotspots, areas rich in marine species found only
in small areas and therefore highly vulnerable to extinction, are identified
for the first time in a study published in the February 15 issue of the
international journal, Science.
Based on new research that for the first
time compares the range (endemism) of certain key species with known threats to
coral reefs from human impacts, the paper is the first of its kind to identify
global priority areas for coral reef conservation. Furthermore, it contradicts
a long-held contention that marine species are unlikely to become extinct as a
consequence of human activities because of their vast geographic ranges in the
oceans. (…)
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/marine/coralatlas/PRESs_RELEASE.htm
Fight against human
trafficking gains awareness-raising tool in global television campaign
Vienna, 19 February - A new
video spot is being released today as a part of a global television campaign by
the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) to
increase education and awareness about trafficking in human beings.
The focus of the 30- and 60-second versions of
the video spot is the trafficking in men, women and children for bonded and
forced labour activities, such as factory work, fieldwork or as domestic
servants. The video spot aims to
provide a stark warning to millions of potential victims about the dangers of
trafficking, and to raise consciousness among the general public about the
epidemic growth of this modern-day slavery.
Trafficking is a global phenomenon, and the video spot is designed to
reach audiences in countries where trafficking originates, as well as in
destination countries where victims often end up. (…)
The new video spot
on human trafficking for bonded and forced labour is currently available in
nine languages: English, Russian,
Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Swahili, Hausa and German. (…)
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/soccp241.doc.htm
Islamabad, 18 February - Two school stationery kits
every minute will start rolling off the production line today at UNICEF's
classroom materials packing plant in Peshawar, northern Pakistan, marking the
start of a huge logistical operation to bring education to Afghan children. The
plant will repackage and distribute the kits, each serving 70 pupils and
teachers, over the next six weeks as part of the organization's support for the
Afghanistan Ministry of Education. (…)
Hundreds of trucks will be used to transport the kits
from the Peshawar plant to Kabul, for onward distribution to provincial centres
around Afghanistan. In addition, more than 20 airlifts will support the
distribution programme, including internal delivery flights and shipment of
educational materials from UNICEF's Supply Centre in Copenhagen. The exercise
is viewed as UNICEF's biggest logistical operation for many years. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/02prafghanschool.htm
Ghana: Cocoa farming can empower women
15 February - Cocoa farming in West Africa can empower
women, reduce poverty and benefit the environment, according to a study
published recently by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research
Institute. The report was based on the results of a survey of farmers in
villages in Western Ghana which aimed to find out how cocoa benefits women,
families, communities and the environment.
One of the ways women benefit, the 'Land, Trees and
Women' report concludes, is through land acquisition, traditionally denied to
women in many parts of West Africa. Through a process known as
"gifting," husbands give their wives land rights to cocoa fields in
exchange for labour during the early stages of cocoa farming. The report added
that when poor women farmers grow cocoa, the whole family benefits as their
increased income is more likely to be used to meet the family's basic needs,
including nutrition, health care and education.
More equitable globalization and defense of cultural
identity: it's the same fight!
Geneva, 14 February - The Organisation
Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and the International Labour
Organization (ILO) share a set of strong core values. This natural link between
the two organizations was formalized at ILO headquarters in Geneva yesterday,
when Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO),
and Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary- General of the OIF - and former member
(from 1971 to 1978) of the ILO's Committee of Experts on the Application of
Conventions and Recommendations - signed a framework agreement confirming their
willingness to develop their institutional relations and joint activities for
the benefit of the 50 or so member States common to both organizations. (…)
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2002/4.htm
Cluster Development in
Pakistan
Since its introduction in
1993, the UNIDO Cluster Programme has improved the
competitiveness of small and medium-sized industries (SMEs) in India,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, Bolivia, Madagascar,
Morocco and Tunisia. In June 2001, the Programme got underway in Pakistan, with
a mission to identify a critical mass of SMEs sharing similar growth
constraints, create awareness of the advantages of clustering and to identify
counterparts and partners. SMEs are characterised as the building blocks of the
economy. They account for about 30% of Pakistan's GDP, 80% of employment, with
a 15% share of investment. The economic and social contribution of SMEs can be
greatly increased through a Cluster Development Programme, which increases
productivity, competitiveness and international market penetration. This in
turn has an impact on poverty eradication. (…)
A
new consciousness for the planet – Lugano, Switzerland, 9-10 March
This international conference
will develop the theme that originates from man’s need to realize the serious
forecasts and consequent necessary actions. The meeting, organized by the
cultural association Holos International under the auspices of the Club of
Budapest, aims at giving, through information and reflection, a contribution to
the change for a more harmonious, free, indulgent, responsible life. The
conference will deal first with the human consciousness from a scientific point
of view; then it will review the planet situation and what can be done to
improve it. The third section will focus on the new and ancient ways for a new
knowledge.
Earth Charter Ethics
Seminar – New York, April 5-7
An
Earth Charter Ethics Seminar will take place and will involve a group of 25
participants. This event will take place from April 5-7, 2002 at The Pocantico Conference
Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in New York. 25 seasoned scholars (6
from other continents) will attend with interest in shaping a global ethic to
explore Earth Charter Ethics in depth.
Initiated
by: the Program on Ecology, Justice and Faith (PEJF) in conjunction with the
Center for Respect of Life and Environment (CRLE.) Co-organizers: J. Ronald Engel, Meadville/Lombard Theological
School (Chicago) & Co-Director, Hastings Center Project on Nature/Polis/Ethics;
Richard Clugston, Executive Director, CRLE, Washington, DC.
* * * * * * *
21 February, UN Information
Office (Rome) - Following is the briefing by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to
the Security Council on 21 February:
The news from the Middle East
is grim. Day by day, the toll of dead
and wounded on both sides mounts. Day
by day, the bitterness and mutual distrust between Israelis and Palestinians
intensifies. Increasingly, the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict risks sliding towards full-fledged war. Truly, we are nearing the edge of the abyss.
During the past seven days,
there have been more than 60 deaths on both sides. Unless something happens to change the dynamic, it is all too
likely that violence will escalate still further. Particularly alarming is the growing belief, among both
Palestinians and Israelis, that there can be no negotiated solution to the
conflict. As we all know, hopelessness
and despair tend to lead to more extreme measures, with tragic consequences for
the region.
Eighteen months after the
beginning of the second “intifada”, the cost to both Israelis and Palestinians
grows ever higher in terms of human suffering, bitterness, disillusion and
mistrust. The key problems remain
occupation; security --- the need to end violence including terrorism; and
economic deprivation and suffering.
These are inter-linked problems, encompassing the political, security
and economic domains.
Yet, even at this darkest of
hours, there is still room for hope. In
the midst of the bitterness and the despair, with clamor on both sides for
revenge and for ever more desperate and reckless measures, there is a
path back to the negotiating table -– if the parties choose to take it.
Let us not forget, Mr.
President, that the parties have agreed, in principle, that there is a way out,
namely the Tenet understandings and the Mitchell recommendation. Taken together, these documents defined an
array of security, economic, and political measures that would have moved the
parties back to the table to negotiate the fundamental issues that divide
them.
However, “in principle” is not
“in practice”. In fact, as we know, the
parties have not implemented either of these plans. If Tenet and Mitchell have not failed, they can certainly not be
said to have succeeded. Clearly, the
situation that is now unfolding requires urgent steps, moving beyond a
discussion focused on how to pursue Tenet and Mitchell.
New thinking and imaginative
new ideas are now being proposed from several quarters. This is to be welcomed and such ideas should
be considered promptly and thoroughly both by the parties and by the
international community.
A reduction in the violence is
the most immediate priority. But I have
become more and more convinced that trying to resolve the security problem on
its own cannot work. Security cannot be
dealt with in isolation. It has to have
a context. It has to be addressed
alongside key political issues, particularly the question of land, and the
economic and social issues, including the increasingly critical desperate
conditions of the Palestinians.
Failure to address these
issues together will only spawn new and perhaps deadlier exchanges of
reciprocal violence. Unless both
parties have a political horizon on which their hopes for peace and an improved
livelihood can be based, there will be no enduring ceasefire. It is imperative that both parties exercise
maximum restraint, particularly with regard to attacks against civilians. It cannot be overemphasized that both
parties must adhere to their obligations under international law to protect
basic rights of civilians, including the right to security.
The lack of mutual confidence
between the two sides makes a third-party role essential. The breakdown of trust is so total that
neither side will believe the other when it comes to the implementation of
agreements. I truly believe that it is
imperative for the Security Council and the wider international community to
work in a concerted manner with the parties towards a just, lasting and
comprehensive peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Middle East.
As the Council knows, I and my
representatives have throughout been in very close contact with leaders on both
sides, in the region and among the international community. However, in light of the gravity of the
situation, I have asked my Special Coordinator, Terje Roed-Larsen, to intensify
his consultations with the parties, with members of the “Quartet”, as well as
with regional and international actors.
Mr. President, the outlook is
bleak. But the present course of events
is not irreversible. There is a high
road --- which the parties themselves had been on not so long ago --- as well
as a low road. Let us do everything in
our power to persuade the parties to pull back from the brink, and return to
the high road.
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