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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-07-31United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSWednesday, July 31, 1996This document is prepared by the Central News Section of the Department of Public Information and is updated every week-day at approximately 6:00 PM. HEADLINES
The September elections are critical in the setting up of the common institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carl Bildt said. Addressing correspondents shortly after he had briefed the Security Council on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, today, Mr Bildt stressed that the required work will not be completed within a few weeks or months. He called for wider involvement of the international community. "I have stressed to the Security Council that our involvement has to be wider in terms of the geographic emphasis and has to be longer," he said. "There is no exit strategy, primarily for European countries, or the international community. We must make our contribution towards the stability and the implementation of the peace agreement in the long haul. Although we are achieving things in one year, it will not be enough, much remains to be done," Mr. Bildt noted. The Panel of Commissioners appointed by the Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission to review the Well Blowout Control Claim filed by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) said it currently had no power to grant a request from Iraq to obtain funds from the Commission's Governing Council. The decision follows Iraq's request to obtain funds from the Commission's Compensation Fund in order to enable it to hire legal counsel and experts. Representatives of Iraq participated in the oral proceedings at the start of the Commission's hearing and requested a postponement of the oral proceedings until the Commission's Governing Council could resolve a separate Iraqi request. The Panel is conducting a closed four-day oral hearing in Geneva with representatives of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), the Government of Kuwait and the Government of Iraq to review the KOC's claim for over US$ 950 million in costs which, the KOC said, were incurred in putting out the oil well fires left burning at the end of the Gulf War. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has published a brochure, "UNESCO: The Will to Reform," in which it outlines the results of its ongoing reform programmes, according to the Organisation. UNESCO says with strict adherence to zero-based budgeting, its current 1996- 1997 budget of $518.4 million shows zero real growth from the previous biennium. Staff costs, on the decrease since 1987, represent just over one- third of the Organisation's total budget, including the regular budget and extra budgetary resources. That, according to the brochure, is one of the lowest proportions in all comparable specialized UN agencies. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says that dozens of Olympic medal winners have pledged to support the appeal against poverty it has launched jointly with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The appeal coincides with the drives initiated by the General Assembly's proclaiming 1997-2006 as the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, according to UNDP. That proclamation follows the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty, 1996. UNDP notes that one in five people live in poverty today, 900 million adults cannot read or write and 1.3 billion people do not have access to safe water. Athletes who sign up pledge to help fight poverty, promote solidarity and human development. "The fight to end poverty is also a matter of individual responsibility", said UNDP Administrator James Gustave Speth. "That is why UNDP and the IOC were developing a joint programme of action to stimulate grassroots initiatives throughout the world and to inform the public about the nature of poverty and solutions," he added. National Olympic committees and UNDP offices in 40 countries have already begun collaborating to promote greater access to sports by poor people, as well as new projects to combat poverty at the local level, according to the Agency. Nigeria has become the 83rd member State to pay its assessed contribution of $1,250,857 to the UN regular budget, the Secretary- General's Spokesman Sylvana Foa announced today. For information purposes only - - not an official record From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgUnited Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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