Good News Agency – Year III, n° 7
Weekly - Year III, number 7
– 5 April 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.
International legislation - Human rights – Peace and safety - Economy
and development
Solidarity - Health
- Environment and wildlife - Culture and
education
4 April: UN Secretary-General statement to Security
Council on the Middle East
Treaty event to be held at UN Headquarters on 11 April
New York, 1 April - The historic occasion of the deposit of sixty
ratifications relating to the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court will be marked by a treaty event at the United
Nations Headquarters on 11 April. The
event will be undertaken in a solemn setting, and arrangements are being made
for delegations, the media and others to witness the occasion. At present, 56 countries have deposited their instruments
of ratification of this treaty and 139 have signed it. At least four
countries have expressed the willingness to ratify or accede to the Statute.
The treaty will enter into force, according to the Rome Statute, on the first day of the month after the sixtieth day following
the date of the deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification. Accordingly, the Statute will enter into
force on 1 July 2002. (…)
The International Criminal Court will possess the jurisdiction to deal
with crimes such as genocide, war crimes, the crime of aggression and crimes
against humanity. It is hoped that the
Court will help to end the impunity with which individuals violate the
established norms against these crimes, to remedy the deficiencies of ad hoc
tribunals, and to provide the legal forum when national criminal justice
institutions are unwilling or unable to act. (…)
The Statute of the Court, drafted by a committee established by the
General Assembly with more than 100 countries participating, was adopted by 120
countries at the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of
Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court, held in Rome from 15 June to 17 July 1998. The text and status of the
Statute can be obtained at the UN Treaty Collection web site: www.untreaty.in.org
Source: UN Information
Office, Rome
International Criminal Tribunal For Rwanda
Trial of colonel accused of
masterminding Rwandan genocide starts 2 April
Yet another milestone in the
international battle against impunity for those who commit or instigate gross
violations of human rights will be laid next week in Arusha, Tanzania, when the
trial of the man accused of masterminding the Rwandan genocide commences at the
United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). The man
accused of designing and instituting a chilling conspiracy to exterminate the
Tutsi population of Rwanda is Colonel Théoneste Bagosora, 61. He will face
twelve charges on Tuesday 2 April, including conspiracy to commit genocide,
genocide, complicity in genocide and direct and public incitement to commit
genocide.(…)
The International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) was established in November 1994 by the United
Nations Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations
Charter. The Tribunal is based in Arusha, Tanzania. The ICTR is the first
international body charged specifically with prosecuting crimes of genocide.
The Tribunal’s jurisdiction extends to serious violations of international
humanitarian law committed in Rwanda, and to Rwandan citizens responsible for
such violations committed in neighbouring States, between 1 January and 31
December 1994. (…)
Burundi-Tanzania: Large-scale
refugee repatriation begins from Tanzania
29 March - A large-scale
operation to repatriate thousands of refugees from Tanzania began on Thursday,
with approximately 430 people, a spokesman from the office of the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed to IRIN. A total of 500 had been
expected, but only about 430 had actually gone, he added. The first convoy,
going from Ngara in western Tanzania through the Kobero border crossing, would
stop in a transit camp in Fongore for one or two days. The refugees would then
be transported to their respective homes, mostly in the northern provinces of
Muyinga, Ngozi and Cankuzo.
Eritrea: Law workshop for
police
28 March - The ICRC delegation
in Asmara has completed a "train the trainers" workshop in
international humanitarian law and human rights law with instructors and other
senior officials from the Eritrean Police Force. During the six-day workshop,
the theoretical and the practical were routinely combined so that day-to-day
issues of policing were presented in the light of the law's provisions, with
particular focus on techniques for teaching and implementing them. Altogether
12 police officers took part, many of them full-time training professionals at
the Eritrean Police Training Centre in Asmara.
Apart from the central subject
of humanitarian law, the workshop also dealt with law enforcement, ethical and
legal police conduct, prevention and detection of crime, maintaining public
order, and vulnerable groups in society, with particular emphasis on women and
juveniles.
The workshop is the second
example of such training cooperation between the Eritrean police and the ICRC,
and represents the continued commitment of the Eritrean police to promoting
humanitarian law. It was organized by a Danish ICRC specialist who is himself a
former policemen.
Eritrea announced its accession
to the Geneva Conventions in August 2000. As the promoter and guardian of
international humanitarian law, the ICRC has a mandate to encourage respect for
it and to support the States which, by becoming party to the Geneva
Conventions, undertake to spread knowledge of its provisions.
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
ICFTU on Israel-Palestine:
returning to the path of peace
Brussels, 4 April - Next week,
in their continuing efforts to build trust, confidence and dialogue among the
workers and people of Israel and Palestine, Guy Ryder, the International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions’ General Secretary, and Emilio
Gabaglio, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) General Secretary,
will travel to Israel and to Palestine. They will meet with Amir Peretz
(General Secretary of the ICFTU affiliated General Federation of Labour in
Israel (Histadrut), and with Shaher Sae'd (General Secretary of the
Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), to discuss how the
international trade union movement can drive forward the return to the path of
peace.
The ICFTU represents 157
million workers in 225 affiliated organisations in 148 countries and
territories. ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions.
http://www.global-unions.org
Upcoming NPT Preparatory Committee for the
2005 Review Conference
Perspective (…): Weapons of
mass destruction and missile proliferation do pose a legitimate threat not only
to US security, but also to international security. However, unilateral
US threats to use nuclear weapons, in conjunction with developing and deploying
missile defenses, as a means of countering these threats is likely to provoke
rather than prevent proliferation. A much better option would be
for the US to take the lead on negotiations for the complete elimination of
nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and their means of
delivery.
From 8-19 April, the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee (Prep Com) meeting for the
2005 Review Conference will take place at the United Nations in New York. The
NPT has become the cornerstone of global disarmament efforts, yet its very
existence is threatened. (…)
The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has prepared a briefing book entitled
"The Status of Nuclear Disarmament" that will be delivered to the
delegates of the NPT Prep Com. The book highlights significant events
since the 2000 NPT Review Conference in relation to the five points of the
Foundation's Appeal to End the Nuclear Weapons Threat to Humanity and All
Life. The book is available in the Member's Area of the Foundation's
website to download in pdf format. https://www.ndic.com/wagingpeace/ma_login.asp
- Nuclear Files.org offers a detailed look at the NPT and its importance to
disarmament efforts. http://www.nuclearfiles.org/prolif/index.html
The Sunflower, April 2002. Http://www.wagingpeace.org
Attacking Poverty Program (APP)
update: Attacking Poverty Course in West Africa, Middle East and North Africa
Debates and Poverty Analysis Initiative Manual
30 March - In late February
and early March the Attacking Poverty Course (APC) was launched in West Africa
with a series of two-day workshops in Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. For
those who read French, there are quite a few presentations and papers available
on the APP web site. You can access these from the APC main page:
http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/attackingpoverty/activities/apcourse.html .
The Development Debates are
winding down in the Middle East and North Africa region after a series of
national meetings in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco and regional
videoconferences. Different poverty-related topics were addressed by each
country, with Morocco focusing on food subsidies, and Jordan discussing the
effects of structural reform on the poor. In addition to summaries in English,
there are also several documents in Arabic. For more information, go to: http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/devdebates/MENA/menahome.html .
Other activities which have
been taking place in the APP include the recent Consultation Meeting on
Communities of Practice for PRSPs in Africa and a number of upcoming workshops
offered by the Poverty Analysis Initiative. One resource that might be of
interest is the recently released Poverty Analysis Manual with nine chapters on
topics from poverty measurement to tools and exercises. Go to:
http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/povertyanalysis/manual.html .
For more on APP activities go
to: http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/attackingpoverty/index.html .
Cape Verde: International
forum links desertification to poverty
29 March - Environmentalists and
government officials have produced a unified position among countries most
affected by desertification following a recent four-day international forum in
Cape Verde's capital, Praia, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) reported on
Monday.
The 'Praia Declaration', which
will be presented at the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in
August in Johannesburg, South Africa, says, "The poverty nexus is tied
with desertification and drought in a vicious circle characterised by land
degradation and loss of resources." The declaration recommends that the
summit consider fighting desertification and promoting natural resources
management as a main strategy to reduce poverty. It also urges more cooperation
at subregional and regional levels to ensure cross-border sharing of skills and
resources in the management of arid ecosystems. (…)
IFAD renews its support to Rwanda with a loan of USD
12 million in favour of the people of Umutara province
Rome, 28 March - The
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Republic of Rwanda have signed an
agreement for a loan of USD 12 million on highly concessional terms to finance
a "twin" project aimed at the development of community resources and
infrastructure in Umutara Province of Rwanda. Mr. John Westley, Vice President
of IFAD, and Mr. Benon Karenzi, Secretary-General, Ministry for Finance and
Planning of the Republic of Rwanda, signed the agreement at the Fund's
headquarters in Rome. (…)
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/2002/21-02.htm
Germany supports FAO
activities in Afghanistan with a 7.6 million euro-aid-package
Rome, 27 March - The Finance
Committee of the German Parliament has approved a 7.6 million Euro aid package
in support of agricultural rehabilitation carried out by the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) in Afghanistan. It is the first time for many years that
Germany, in addition to its regular contribution to the FAO budget, has pledged
money in support of FAO development activities, the UN agency said in a
statement issued today. (…)
Germany will contribute to a
seed distribution project in Northern Afghanistan. Poor families in remote
areas will receive local cereal, legume and vegetable seeds and fertilisers to
resume agricultural production.
Germany will also participate
in a seed multiplication programme. (…)
Germany is FAO's third largest
contributor and covers around 10 percent of the agency's regular budget.
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/english/2002/3380-en.html
Ukrainian students see ICT light at end of poverty
tunnel
Wednesday, 27 March 2002: As world leaders discussed
financing for development in Monterrey, Mexico, last week, a group of young
leaders met in Kiev, Ukraine, to discuss poverty in their midst and how to use
information and communications technology (ICT) to tackle such poverty. (…)
About 300 students between 14 and 17 years old from
all over the country attended the event, sponsored by UNDP Ukraine, the State
Committee on Communication and Information and Ukrtelecom. The five-day meeting
was part of a large-scale UNDP programme aimed at turning ICT into a means of
promoting prosperity in the country. The programme, launched last year, goes
beyond infrastructure support to promote the use of ICT as part of government
services. Its aim is to establish balanced national development and poverty
alleviation through the appropriate and innovative use of ICT. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Making it easier to have water in Kazakhstan’s Aral
basin
26 March - (…) The rural Kazakh districts of Aralsk
and Kazalinsk, which include Kamystybas, have long suffered from the Soviet
legacy of unsustainable irrigation practices. That was worsened by excessive
cultivation of rice and cotton and the degradation of the environment, all
leading to the shrinking of the Aral Sea. In addition, local governments lacked
sufficient funds to restore the facilities supplying potable water to the
villages and to clean up destroyed or dried up irrigation canals. A new
UNDP/Capacity 21 project is now enabling the populations of nine villages in
Aralsk and Kazalinsk to take their destiny in their own hands. The project is
helping villagers (…) manage their water resources and improve their living
conditions by setting up water users associations to take the lead in resolving
water problems.
In addition to supporting the associations, UNDP has
organized a series of training sessions on institutional strengthening,
strategic planning, project design and legal aspects of land and water use. The
training has helped the associations in mobilizing the local populations to
address their problems and better manage their agriculture, fishing and water
resources. (…)
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Urban Forum - Nairobi, 29
April - 3 May 2002
The unified Urban Forum will
have international co-operation in shelter and urban development as its substantive
focus, and will serve as an advisory body to the United Nations Commission on
Human Settlements on these issues.
Towards this end, the meetings
of the Urban Forum will facilitate the exchange of experiences and the
advancement of collective knowledge among cities and their development
partners. The meetings of the Urban Forum will also place strong emphasis on
the participation of Habitat Agenda Partners and relevant international
programmes, funds and agencies, thus ensuring their inclusion in the
identification of new issues, the sharing of lessons learnt, the exchange of
best practices and good policies.
The General Assembly at its
meeting in New York on 12 December 2001, decided to transform, with effect from
1 January 2002, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements into “The
United Nations Human Settlements Programme,” to be known also as “UN-HABITAT.”
The General Assembly also changed the name of the governing body from “The
United Nations Commission on Human Settlements” to “The Governing Council of
the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.” The UN-HABITAT secretariat
shall service the Governing Council and serve as the focal point for human
settlements and for the coordination of human settlements activities within the
United Nations system. [F. G.]
Source: www.unhabitat.org/uf
Better World Campaign
2001-2002
BWC will work to encourage
Congress and the Administration to fully fund U.S. financial and treaty
obligations to the UN, for both the regular and peacekeeping budgets.
Additionally, the campaign will encourage the new Administration and Congress
to “normalize relations” with the United Nations by addressing several issues
that stand as roadblocks to the UN’s institutional and financial health. BWC
will also continue to monitor U.S. efforts to pay back nearly $1 billion in
U.S. debt to the UN (as of November 2001, $682 million had been paid).
The Better World Campaign
(BWC) is a project of the Better World Fund, which was created with initial
support from businessman and philanthropist R.E. Turner as part of his historic
$1 billion gift to support UN causes. It is a bi-partisan, non-profit national
education and outreach effort dedicated to enhancing the awareness of and
appreciation for the vital role the United Nations plays around the world.
In 1999, BWC helped ensure
Congress and the Administration worked together to pay nearly $1 billion in
U.S. debt to the United Nations. The result was passage of the Helms-Biden
legislation, a compromise requiring the UN to meet certain benchmarks in order
to receive payment of $926 million in U.S. arrears.
In 2000, BWC worked to
encourage Congress and the Administration to honor the U.S. commitment to UN
peacekeeping – resulting in an appropriation of $846 million, $340 million more
than originally appropriated by the Senate and House early in the year. [F. G.]
Source: www.betterworldfund.org
Nairobi, 29 March - The
African Development Bank (ADB) has approved a grant of US $500,000 to help
finance humanitarian assistance to the victims of the 17 January 2002 eruption
of Mt Nyiragongo in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), ADB announced
on 28 March.
The funds will be channeled
through the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to support rehabilitation of the
education sector, which suffered significant damages such as the destruction of
720 classrooms, leaving nearly 24,000 pupils without any possibility to
continue their education, according to an ADB statement.
The programme has been divided
into two phases. The first phase, which started in January, involved emergency
rehabilitation of classrooms, while the second involves the reconstruction of
primary schools and the purchase of furniture, materials and textbooks. The
reconstruction programme will employ local labour, thereby generating basic
incomes for some 25,000 households, ADB stated. The programme, whose total cost
amounts to US $1.6 million, is co-financed by the ADB, the DRC government and a
number of other donors.
ADB Group operations in the DRC
started in 1972. Since then, it has provided a total of over US $700 million
for more than 50 operations in that country.
Central African Republic:
China to provide US $1.2 million in support
29 March - The governments of
the Central African Republic (CAR) and China signed an economic cooperation
agreement worth 10 million yuan (US $1.2 million) on Tuesday, 26 March, Radio
Centrafrique reported from the CAR capital, Bangui. The Chinese embassy in
Bangui confirmed this information to IRIN on Thursday, and noted that
discussions between the two governments were in progress as to how the funding
could best be used. (…)
Burkina Faso: European Union
gives US $310.8 million to fight poverty
29 March - The European Union
announced on 22 March that it would give Burkina Faso the equivalent of some US
$310.8 million - from 2002-2007 - to support the government's anti-poverty
drive. The aid will be ploughed into rural development and food security, basic
education, health, economic reform and road building.
Congo: Sweden provides US
$773,000 in support via UN
Nairobi, 28 March - The
government of Sweden has agreed to provide SEK 8 million (US $773,320) to be
channelled through UN agencies as part of Sweden's ongoing support for the
reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Republic of Congo. Swedish diplomatic
sources informed IRIN on Tuesday that SEK 5 million ($483,325) would be
channelled through the UN Development Programme (UNDP) for the reintegration of
ex-combatants and small-arms collection; that SEK 1 million ($96,665) would be
channelled through UNDP for agriculture feeder-road repairs; and that SEK 2
million ($193,330) would be channelled through the UN Children's Fund for a
psychological assistance programme for war-affected children.
Abidjan, 28 March (IRIN) - The
World Food Programme (WFP) has donated educational materials to the Liberian
Ministry of Education to help strengthen its administrative base, the UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its recent
situation report. (…)
The three-year feeding
project, which is due to end in late 2003, targets a total of 140,000 people,
of whom 132,000 are students and 8,000 teachers and support staff. WFP supports
community-based school feeding activities that aim to bolster local initiatives
to reopen schools following the 1989-1997 Liberian civil war. The programme,
which is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, was
initiated and funded by the US government.
WFP also operates an emergency
school-feeding project in Liberia that has targeted food aid to some 20,000
beneficiaries, most of whom are school-age children in refugee and internally
displaced persons camps in Liberia.
Catholic Relief Services
commits emergency supplies to Afghan earthquake survivors
Baltimore, USA, March 28 - As
rescue efforts fade and relief activities intensify in northeastern
Afghanistan's Baghlan province, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is sending a
variety of relief items to the leveled Nahrin district, where an estimated
30,000-50,000 people are homeless after a series of earthquakes and aftershocks
rocked the area this week. The supplies, which complement the broad relief
effort coordinated by the Afghan interim government and UN Emergency Task Force
established for the crisis, include 1,000 stoves, with a month's worth of coal
(10 tons in total), and 1,000 sets of cooking pots, plates, cups and eating
utensils for a family of six. (…)
http://www.catholicrelief.org/
UNICEF rushes assistance to
quake-stricken survivors in northern Afghanistan
New York, Geneva, 27 March -
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) delivered 70 tonnes of emergency
supplies to the thousands of quake survivors in the Baghlan province of
northern Afghanistan hours after the earthquake hit. Today, a second UNICEF
convoy arrived in the worst affected towns of Nahrin and Burka, transporting
additional emergency materials - including desperately needed food, medicine
and shelter.
"Our main concern now is
to keep children from dying of exposure and disease," said UNICEF
Executive Director Carol Bellamy. "These children have suffered enough -
many of them have now also lost family members and their homes. Many more will
be traumatized."
Five UNICEF staff members -
including a doctor, a nutrition expert and a water engineer - are on the ground
as part of a UN and NGO team assisting survivors. UNICEF is working closely
with the Interim Administration to co-ordinate a rapid response to the
emergency. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/02pr10aquake.htm
Afghans for Afghanistan: UN Volunteers of Afghan
origin return to assist recovery efforts
Islamabad/Bonn, 26 March -
United Nations Volunteers of Afghan origin have started arriving to support
recovery efforts for and with the people of Afghanistan. (…) Currently, 25
United Nations Volunteers based in Afghanistan and Pakistan are providing
support for activities of UNHCR, the World Food Programme (WFP), the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Additional UN Volunteers are
being fielded or are on stand-by to provide assistance to the humanitarian
relief efforts of the United Nations. They will be based in Afghanistan or will
operate from neighbouring Pakistan and Tajikistan. These UN Volunteers -- water
and sanitation engineers, site planners, public health experts and
administrative specialists -- will focus their efforts on care for refugees and
internally displaced people as well as food distribution. A number of UN
Volunteers will also serve as public information officers. (…)
http://www.unv.org/infobase/news_releases/2002/02_03_26AFG_relief.htm
Japanese NGO donates $200,000
to UN Drug Control efforts
Vienna, 18 March – Seven
Japanese students presented a donation of 25,000,000 Japanese Yen (equivalent
of $200,000) to the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) at the Vienna
International Centre (VIC) today.
The "Young Civic
Ambassadors" - all students aged 16 or 17 - were selected for playing
leading roles in the 2001 fund-raising drive of Tokyo's Drug Abuse Prevention
Centre (DAPC). The DAPC organises annual youth drug-awareness campaigns, which
include fund-raising events and street collections throughout Japan.
The DAPC contribution will go
into a special fund to support the drug abuse prevention work of grassroots
organizations in developing countries. This year's figure raises the Centre's
total donations to the UNDCP to $3.5 million since 1994. This has already
enabled UNDCP to make grants to more than 330 NGOs. (…)
http://www.undcp.org/press_release_2002-03-18_1.html
Sierra Leone: World Bank loan
for reconstruction and HIV/AIDS
29 March - The World Bank has
agreed in principle to allocate over US $140 million to support reconstruction
and development efforts, and to fight against HIV/AIDS in the war-torn country,
the bank said on Wednesday.
Under the Transitional Support
Strategy, the government will receive US $140 million over the next two years
to finance projects in education, health, institutional reform and
infrastructure and economy. The support strategy, which sets out cooperation
between the bank and its borrowing members, is a country-specific development
programme for countries emerging from conflict, the World Bank reported.
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1255
29 March - The government has
unveiled a three-year programme against HIV/AIDS aimed at lowering the national
prevalence rate of 11 percent. "Our principal objective is to reverse the
actual trend in the epidemic, reduce the prevalence rate to less than 10
percent, and reduce by at least 25 percent HIV's incidence rate among the
youth, men and women by the year 2005," Health Minister Urbain Awono said
at the programme launch on Friday.
Drawn up by the national committee against AIDS (Comite National De
Lutte Contre Le Sida), the programme pays special attention to helping youth,
who have been hardest hit by the epidemic in this central African country.
http://www.irinnews.org/AIDSreport.asp?ReportID=1253
Nepal: Monitoring the
healthcare system
28 March - For the second time
in four months, the ICRC has delivered a surgical kit for treating up to 100
war-wounded to the Bheri Zonal Hospital in Nepalgunj, some 600 km west of
Kathmandu. The kit weighs half a tonne, and contains instruments, antibiotics,
fluids and dressing material. It will enable the hospital to stabilize
casualties until they can be evacuated to Kathmandu for further treatment. The
Bheri hospital was chosen to receive these supplies because of its capacity to
treat war wounded. Its location in mid-western
Nepal, where several clashes have recently taken place, allows casualties to be
taken there by road or air, even from remote areas. (…)
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/
WHO and UNAIDS continue to support use of nevirapine
for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission
Geneva, 22 March - The
statement released today by the United States National Institutes of Health
(NIH), concerning some reporting and documentation irregularities in clinical
trial HIVNET012, does not warrant any change in the recommendations issued
following a WHO technical consultation on mother-to-child HIV transmission in
October 2000.
This expert group, convened by
WHO on behalf of UNICEF, UNFPA, and the UNAIDS Secretariat, concluded that the
safety and effectiveness of antiretroviral regimens, including nevirapine, in
preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission has been clearly documented and
that the use of these regimens is thus warranted for preventing mother-to-child
HIV transmission. (…)
The NIH statement emphasized that,
according to available information, there has been no evidence the scientific
data from the HIVNET012 study demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of
nevirapine is invalid. Each year, more than 600 000 infants become infected
with HIV, mainly through mother-to-child transmission. WHO and the UNAIDS
Secretariat recommend that the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of
HIV, including antiretroviral regimens such as nevirapine, should be included
in the minimum standard package of care for HIV-positive women and their
children. We are aware of no information that would cause the WHO and UNAIDS to
change its recommendations.
http://www.unaids.org/whatsnew/press/eng/pressarc02/Neviparine_250302.html
Major new forest restoration
initiative launched at ‘Restore The Earth!’ conference
31 March - Today, the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) announced the launch of the Forest Restoration
Information Service, a new website-based information service aimed at promoting
the restoration of degraded forests.
Making the announcement at the Findhorn Foundation’s Restore the Earth!
conference, Adrian Newton of UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre in
Cambridge, England, described the new Service as a key tool in the battle to
begin the urgent process of restoring the large areas of forest cover that we
have lost over the last century: ‘There are many successful initiatives
underway in different parts of the world, but little information is available
about them’, he said. ‘This web resource should help provide guidance about how
ecological restoration can be achieved in practice by highlighting successful
examples’.
Earlier, the 160 conference participants
representing 30 different countries from all parts of the world, heard Senior
UNEP adviser, John Manoochehri, describe the idea of earth restoration as
potentially, ‘a turning point in the history of humanity’s relationship with
the environment. It provides us’, he
said, ‘with the opportunity to develop a new relationship with the natural
world – one based not on guilt, but on positive and practical action’. He said that great efforts were required to
push earth restoration up the agenda of the forthcoming World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg later this year.
The Forest Restoration Information Service
web-site can be found at:
www.unep-wcmc/forest/restoration/homepage.htm
Global Reporting Initiative
sets over 90 indicators
29 March - After five years of
work, an innovative coalition of businesses, advocacy groups, unions,
accountants, academics, and government representatives is preparing to unveil
standardized guidelines for how businesses report their impact on society and
the environment. The Global Reporting Initiative standards, which are the
brainchild of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies, include
more than 90 indicators of environmental, social, and economic performance --
from greenhouse gas emissions and waste management to human rights and child labour records. The GRI
standards could meet the growing demand from investors, activists, accounting
bodies, and governments for thorough information about business practices,
while streamlining the reporting process for companies.
www.globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020328001744&query=Alison+Maitland
http://www.gristmagazine.com/week/massie091800.stm?source=daily
FEMA agrees to assess impact of Floodplain Development Program on
numerous threatened and endangered species
Santa Fe, NM, USA, March 28 -
In a move that could reduce death and destruction as a result of flooding, by
discouraging building in dangerous floodplains along New Mexico's major rivers,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency recently agreed to determine the effect
of its National Flood Insurance Program on numerous endangered species. The
agreement comes in response to a lawsuit filed in January of last year by
Forest Guardians, the Sierra Club and the Southwest Environmental Center that
claimed that new development along river banks and in the adjacent floodplain
was damaging the habitat of species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
http://www.ewire-news.com/wires/1CD948E9-AF43-48BE-9608A41B6266DE66.htm
Carbon sequestration through
reforestation: ESI plants 15 million trees
Atlanta, GA, USA, March 28 -
Environmental Synergy, Inc. (ESI), an Atlanta-based environmental services
company, has this month planted its 15 millionth tree in the Lower Mississippi
River Valley under a mission to restore bottomland hardwood habitat and remove
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
http://www.ewire-news.com/wires/1358DD69-BFD8-4507-AB640C494E6BE1EE.htm
New biosphere reserves in Poland
and Ukraine, while UK reviews its old reserves
Paris, March 25 - Two new
natural areas on the borders of Poland and Ukraine - poised to be merged into a
trans-frontier biosphere reserve - were added by UNESCO's Man and Biosphere
(MAB) Programme to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves on Friday 22 March,
at the close of its two-yearly Council meeting in Paris.
The new sites are adjacent
wetland areas in West Polesie (Poland) and Shatskiy (Ukraine). They feature a
unique landscape of rivers, lakes, moors and forest and are a melting pot of
inhabitants of different cultures, nationalities and religions. They are a
haven for bird life. Regional social and economic changes are creating
opportunities to develop this sparsely populated area, but this in turn poses
challenges for conservation. The longer-term aim is to merge the two sites into
a single biosphere reserve, possibly by the end of this year. This would make
the merged site the sixth trans-frontier biosphere reserve worldwide.
The choice of site highlights
how the concept of biosphere reserves is evolving from focusing on nature
conservation and science to one that actively includes local communities in
their management and economic development. (…)
http://www.unesco.org/bpi/eng/unescopress/2002/02-19e.shtml
New partnership promotes
business for women and HIV/AIDS education in Africa
Thursday, 28 March - UNDP and
the Business Women's Network (BWN) recently launched
a new alliance to help expand women's entrepreneurship and HIV/AIDS education
throughout Africa.
Strategic Partnerships for
Women's Empowerment in Africa will help African businesswomen through a
programme combining entrepreneur development and business skills training with
HIV/AIDS education. This is the first Africa initiative linking
entrepreneurship and financial independence for women with HIV/AIDS education
and prevention. (…)
BWN, a Washington, DC based
organization, is one of the most comprehensive sources of information and
programme links to business markets for women around the world. BWN works with
over 7,000 associations, 100 Fortune 500 corporations, 20 US government
agencies, and over 300 members of Congress, as well as all 50 states in the
U.S. and many foreign countries. BWN was acquired in 2001 by a New York based
media company, iVillage.
http://www.undp.org/dpa/index.html
Spring brings a new beginning: Afghanistan's schools
triumphantly open; UNICEF calls it 'reminder to all of us'
Classrooms open at 3,000
schools; at least 1.5 million children attend first day
Kabul / Geneva / New York, 23
March - The United Nations Children's Fund today lauded the Afghan Interim
Administration for its "relentless commitment to education," as 3,000
schools across Afghanistan threw open their doors to more than 1.5 million
girls and boys, many of whom were entering a formal classroom for the first
time in six years.
Calling the opening of Afghan
schools just three months after the interim government came into existence
"an inspiration to us all," UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy
praised the people and leaders of Afghanistan for their "unwavering
dedication to children." (…)
It was UNICEF's largest
logistical effort ever in support of education, and was just one component of
an Afghan back-to-school campaign led by the new administration that mobilized
teachers, registered children, readied school facilities, and organized a
curriculum and an entire educational structure virtually from scratch. (…)
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/02pr09afghanistan.htm
Pax Christi International
officially endorses the Earth Charter after Pax Christi Germany and Pax Christi
USA
Pax Christi International
Executive Committee members voted to endorse the Earth Charter at a meeting
that took place in Belgium, 8 - 10 March 2002. According to Pax Christi
International, endorsement of the document builds support for environmental
protection and development of a just, sustainable, and peaceful world.
Pax Christi International is a non-profit, non-governmental Catholic
peace movement that began in France at the end of World War II. Today, it is
comprised of autonomous national sections, local groups, and affiliated
organizations spread over 30 countries and 5 continents, with over 60,000
members worldwide. The movement works in all areas of peace but has a specific
focus on demilitarisation, security and arms trade, development and human
rights, and ecology. For more see: http://www.paxchristi.net
_______________
“THIRD PARTY MEDIATION IS
NEEDED MORE THEN EVER”, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS IN STATEMENT TO SECURITY
COUNCIL MEETING ON MIDEAST
Welcomes Mission by United
States Secretary Powell,
As Parties Unable, on Their
Own, to Find Way Out of Current Situation
The following is the statement
by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Security Council on 4 April (source: UN
Information Office, Rome):
Mr. President,
The situation in the Middle
East -- between Israel and Palestine, and across the “Blue Line” -- continues
to deteriorate. All parties risk making
serious miscalculations about the effect that their actions will have on each
other. Such miscalculations can all too
easily draw the region into greater and greater danger, whether intended or
not.
My purpose in addressing you
today is to call on all members of the international community to consider
urgently how best to intercede with the parties to persuade them to draw back
from their present course.
In the Palestinian-Israeli
arena, Security Council resolution 1402 provides the elements needed to begin
to de-escalate the present crisis, and resolution 1397 provides the framework
for a permanent settlement. We all need
to intensify our efforts to see that those resolutions are implemented without
further delay.
Israeli actions, since the
adoption of Security Council resolution 1402, do not bode well for stabilizing
the situation and renewing political talks.
On the contrary, the Government of Israel appears to be moving in the
opposite direction to that prescribed by resolutions 1397 and 1402 -- a sure
path to further escalation. Israel has
justified its acts as self-defence and “counter-terrorist” measures.
However, we need to be very
clear that self-defence is not a blank cheque. It is important to understand
that responding to terrorism does not in any way free Israel from its
obligations under international law, nor does it justify creating a human
rights and humanitarian crisis within the occupied Palestinian territory. There is an urgent need to comply with all
provisions of international law, particularly those that ban indiscriminate and
disproportionate use of force, as well as the humiliating treatment of a
civilian population.
Forcing Chairman Arafat into
exile would be reckless. He is the
legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and his exile would only
lead to even more violence and chaos.
Deportation is specifically prohibited by the Fourth Geneva
Convention. It would be a
miscalculation of monumental proportions to believe that removing Chairman
Arafat from the political scene and dismantling the Palestinian Authority would
create conditions where Israel can achieve security for itself.
I
understand the bitterness, anger and disillusion felt by Israelis. But the military route undertaken by the
Government of Israel will not pacify the Palestinians. Nor do I see how this approach can bring
peace and security to Israel. Only a
just, lasting and comprehensive settlement can do so.
If we have learned anything
from history, it is that it is a grave mistake for the more powerful party to
believe that power alone will ultimately subdue the weaker party.
In fact, what we are
witnessing is an increase in the resolve and unity of the Palestinians, as well
as increasing public anger across the Arab and Islamic world and beyond.
I am not arguing that the
spiralling violence is to be blamed on one party alone. The Palestinian Authority seems to believe
that failing to act against terrorism, and inducing turmoil, chaos and
instability, will cause the Government and the people of Israel to buckle. They will not.
As we are seeing, this
approach is only spurring on the Government in its present course; it also
unites the Israeli public behind the military option. We should not forget that it was not so long ago that this same
Israeli public was supportive of peace efforts by a large majority.
Under direct assault from the
Israeli military, Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian security services are
seriously limited in their ability to contain terrorism.
However, even now, Chairman
Arafat has the capacity to exercise political leadership, to set the course for
the future of his people. Terrorism is
never justified. The Palestinian
leadership must acknowledge this and the Palestinian public must accept this.
I would like to take this
opportunity to call on the Government of Israel to give the Quartet full access
to the compound of Chairman Arafat and to the Chairman himself.
Together with General Zinni’s
mission, the Quartet arrangement could be used as an effective instrument to
pursue implementation of resolution 1402.
There have been persistent
reports about the limitations placed on access by humanitarian and medical
workers to those Palestinians in urgent need of assistance.
It is imperative that
humanitarian workers and agencies, such as the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC), the Red Crescent Society, and the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), be granted full
access to those affected areas.
There
is plenty of reason for pessimism. But
there is at least one recent positive development. The promise represented by the Arab League’s Beirut Summit marked a
significant turning point. We need to
ensure that the Saudi initiative endorsed by the Arab League does not founder.
Let us hold onto and nourish
that vision amid the encircling gloom and the worrying rise in regional
tension.
Here, I would like to express
a very serious concern over events along the Blue Line. I recalled in the Council recently that
Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon was in compliance with resolutions 425 and
426, and was recognized as such by the Council itself. We must make sure that all sides respect the
Blue Line.
Escalation along the Blue Line
could have serious consequences for peace and security in the region, beyond
Israel and Lebanon, as we know from the past.
There seem to be efforts
coming from Lebanese territory to deliberately create instability along the
Blue Line.
In addition to recent attacks
by Hezbollah across the Blue Line, this morning Hezbollah elements assaulted a
patrol of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) military observers.
It needs to be made clear to
Hezbollah and others who may be involved that attacks across the Blue Line --
whether into northern Israel or into occupied Syrian territory -- are
violations of Security Council resolutions and are not acceptable.
I strongly urge those with
influence to ensure adherence to the Council resolutions on this subject. The Government of Lebanon will be aware that
it is responsible for any hostile actions taken from its territory.
In
this connection, I have been in contact over the last 24 hours with leaders in
the region. Also, my Personal
Representative in Lebanon, Mr. de Mistura, and the Force Commander of UNIFIL
yesterday met with Council members who have representatives in Beirut, as well
as the Lebanese leadership, about the situation.
Let me conclude by saying that
the building blocks of peace, once broken down, are not easily rebuilt.
Recent events have had a
further, severely corrosive effect on mutual confidence. On both sides, bitterness and despair are at
an all time high. We all need to cling
to the conviction that, in the end, however long it takes, there will one day
have to be a peaceful settlement of this conflict.
Third-party mediation is
needed more than ever as the parties are unable, on their own, to find a way
out of the present situation. In this
connection, I strongly welcome President Bush’s decision to send Secretary
Powell to the region.
The road back to the
negotiating table will not be easy or smooth.
But, all sides can take the first steps by exercising maximum restraint
so as to reverse the current dangerous deterioration of the situation.
Resolutions 1397 and 1402,
taken together, provide the vision for a permanent settlement of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the immediate security and political steps
needed to move beyond the present crisis.
Our efforts need to focus on implementing these resolutions.
Thank you very much, Mr.
President.
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