United Nations Daily Highlights, 98-09-16

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday, 16 September, 1998

Latest Developments

HEADLINES

• In letter to Secretary-General, Taliban representatives request United Nations mediation with Iran.
• Norwegian United Nations peacekeeping soldier in southern Lebanon injured by Israeli fire.
• Secretary-General and Assembly President join world religious and spiritual leaders in prayer for world peace.
• Secretary-General to establish an "Ideas Data Bank" for staff proposals on improving work of United Nations.
• United Nations environment agency warns that illegal trade in chemicals will delay ozone recovery.
• Switzerland pledges 1 million Swiss Francs for United Nations project promoting juvenile justice reform in Lebanon.

"The Secretary-General has repeatedly expressed his concern at the increase in tension in the region," said his Spokesman, Fred Eckhard, who added that Mr. Annan would continue his consultations on the matter next week in the margins of the General Assembly. "The Secretary-General is also considering other measures to help reduce tension in the region. In the context of these efforts, he is giving consideration to the Taliban request," Mr. Eckhard added.

During a meeting in New York with Taliban representatives on Tuesday, Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Kieran Prendergast, the Under-Secretary- General for Political Affairs, responded positively to a request by the Taliban for a humanitarian assessment mission to Bamiyan. But they stressed that the assessment mission would be conducted on an exceptional basis, and it did not imply a full-scale return of United Nations international staff to Afghanistan.

In addition, the two United Nations officials laid down a number of conditions for the assessment mission, including a safety guarantee by Taliban authorities, direct flights by United Nations planes in and out of Bamiyan, escorts for the mission and unfettered access to all affected populations.

According to Mr. Eckhard, on Wednesday morning the Taliban representative in New York informed the United Nations that he had received agreement from his authorities in Kandahar to all the points raised.

The two officials also conveyed the Secretary-General's deep concern about reports of human rights violations and killings of civilians and members of minority groups, particularly the Hazaras. They also expressed concern that similar atrocities could occur in Bamiyan following the recent Taliban offensive there, and urged the Taliban authorities to refrain from attacking civilians.

"In the early morning of 16 September, a patrol of the Norwegian battalion near the village of Blate came under fire from a tank of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF)," said United Nations Spokesman Fred Eckhard. "A soldier was hit by shrapnel in his left hand, causing severe injuries and the loss of one finger."

The injured soldier was evacuated to a hospital of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and is reported to be in stable condition.

"UNIFIL has strongly protested the incident with the IDF and apparently the IDF has conveyed apologies," Mr. Eckhard noted. He recalled that in 1993, a similar incident occurred in the same area, where one Norwegian soldier had been killed and another seriously injured.

The prayer, the Second Annual Interfaith Service of Commitment to the work of the United Nations was held in a church in New York to mark the opening of the General Assembly. It also commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The prayer brought together international leaders from the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Native American, Shinto, Sikh and other faith traditions and communities.

In his remarks to the gathering, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that the service was one of the newest traditions on the United Nations calendar, but it had already made an impact as a moving expression of solidarity and goodwill among peoples of different faiths and traditions.

The Secretary-General noted that the world community commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights while acknowledging that for far too many people, its tenets had yet to be brought to life or given real meaning.

"These and other challenges give prayer a rightful place in the work of the United Nations. For Prayer is compassion and concern; it is thanksgiving and atonement; it is yearning and relief," Mr. Kofi Annan said.

"The challenge of finding better ways of conducting our work is continuous, " Mr. Annan wrote in a letter sent to the staff on Tuesday. "All of you are well placed to make innovative suggestions for improving our day-to-day work," he noted, inviting staff to submit proposals -- "big or small" -- to an Ideas Data Bank, which will be coordinated by the Management Policy Office in the Department of Management. "This means that each of you, irrespective of where you work or what your position may be, can have a real say in how the Organization can be made to function better."

The Secretary-General reviewed the major accomplishments of his reform effort, which he said was off to "an excellent start." Among those were the establishment of the Senior Management Group, or cabinet, which brings together top United Nations officials for weekly meetings on policy coordination. In addition, he cited the importance of the new executive committees established to cover the areas of peace and security, development cooperation, international economic and social affairs, and humanitarian affairs.

Mr. Annan expressed hope that his remaining reform proposals would soon be approved by the General Assembly. "Once these largely administrative and managerial changes are behind us, we can turn next to focus on our substantive work, and on defining clearly the roles the United Nations can and should play as the world enters the new century." The 2000 General Assembly, designated as the Millennium Assembly, would offer an opportunity to examine how the United Nations can meet its future challenges, he said.

Marking "Ozone Day" on Wednesday, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said there was some cause for celebration, but the illegal trade in harmful chemicals demonstrated that the battle was far from won.

In a message marking the Day, Secretary-General Kofi Annan noted that in the last 10 years, the production and consumption of ozone- depleting chemicals had been reduced by more than 80 per cent. He pointed out that individuals can make a difference in restoring the ozone layer. "Every citizen can help by buying only ozone-friendly products," he said. "Such choices can not only prod industries to switch to ozone-friendly technologies but can also help reduce illegal trade and ensure that countries fulfil their obligations under the [Montreal] Protocol," he said.

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer mandates that industrialized countries phase out their consumption of CFCs except for essential use. But demand for CFCs persists because millions of pieces of equipment, such as automobile air conditioners, are designed to use the ozone-depleting chemicals. Alternatives cost more than CFCs, thus boosting the demand for illegal trade.

Underscoring the monetary value of the trade in illegal chemicals, UNEP Executive Director Klaus T”pfer said, "The profits to be made are higher than those obtained by exporting cocaine." According to UNEP, it is difficult to estimate the size of the illegal trade, but it is thought to range between 20,000 and 30,000 tonnes.

The project, which seeks to strengthen the laws and institutions dealing with youthful offenders, is being undertaken by the United Nations Vienna- based Centre for International Crime Prevention in close collaboration with the Lebanese Government.

"The world needs to ensure that children are not maltreated as a result of ineffective, outdated policies," said Pino Arlacchi, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. Efforts so far have been piecemeal, he said, adding that the Swiss contribution was a sign of future progress.

Lebanon's structures for dealing with young offenders have been weakened by years of conflict, but the country now sees an opportunity to reinforce or rebuild the juvenile justice system, according to the United Nations anti- crime Centre. The project is designed to cover all aspects of juvenile delinquency, from prevention and legislative initiatives to rehabilitation.

This effort complements a joint United Nations/Lebanon project to counter corruption, which promotes good governance reforms in line with policies promoted by the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and other international organizations. The project is intended to help thwart the activities of transnational criminal associations specializing in the illicit international trafficking in children for purposes of sexual or labour exploitation.

From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

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