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United Nations Daily Highlights 96-09-09United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSMonday, September 9, 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
Despite widespread recognition of the importance of preventive action, there was too little prevention and too much cure, UN Secretary- General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali has said, opening a seminar series on peacemaking and peacekeeping at UN Headquarters, in New York, sponsored by the International Peace Academy. The Secretary-General attributed this to a number of factors saying attention, assistance, money for relief could be obtained, but great difficulties were encountered for contingency plans, observers and preventive deployment. Dr. Boutros-Ghali said it was recognised that prevention was "less costly in terms of human and material resources, than relief, reconstruction, reconciliation, but we now see an emerging trend of unwillingness to prevent control or stop a wide range of conflicts followed by readiness to step in after the killing is over." The United Nations General Assembly was meeting today to consider a draft resolution on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The General Assembly is expected to approve the text of this treaty. It will ask the Secretary-General to open the treaty for signature, a few weeks later. The draft resolution was sponsored by Australia and 120 Member States. The Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Sylvana Foa said the Secretary-General welcomed consideration of the prohibition of the nuclear weapon tests by the Assembly. The Secretary-General continued to be convinced that a comprehensive test ban treaty would make a critical contribution to the process of nuclear disarmament. A special event marking the first anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women was opened by Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali at UN Headquarters today. In his opening address Dr. Boutros-Ghali said there were three issues of particular relevance - women in conflict, the empowerment of women in society and women in the workplace. The Secretary-General asked for help in the fulfillment of the mission to achieve equality for women; to support peace efforts for men and women; to integrate an awareness of gender issues in all our work worldwide, and to make equality of opportunity a reality worldwide and at the United Nations. Keynote addresses were delivered at the event by Donna Shalala, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and Florence Butega, Ugandan lawyer and activist. The United Nations is watching closely, developments in Cyprus, UN Spokesman Sylvana Foa said today, adding that the Secretary-General is very concerned over the shooting incident reported in Cyprus yesterday in which a Turkish Cypriot soldier was killed and another wounded. It is clearly a serious incident which needs to be fully investigated by the authorities concerned, she said. The Secretary-General has asked Gustave Feissel, his Deputy Special Representative and Chief of Mission in Cyprus to get in touch with the two sides on the island with a view to preventing any action that could raise tension between them, the Spokesman said. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, is reporting that thousands of Kurds are fleeing, following fighting in two towns in Northern Iraq over the weekend. Spokesman for the Secretary- General, Sylvana Foa told correspondents today that UNHCR quoting its local staff in Sulemaneya says, about 8000 Kurds are moving toward the Iranian border. It is not known if any have actually tried to cross. UNHCR is trying to assess the exact number of people on the move in case the Agency needs to go into a stockpiling situation. But according to UNHCR, their stocks right now are quite good, and a special task force has been established in Geneva to watch the situation closely. Stimulating dialogue among students, employers and other concerned partners will be the focus of a Seminar sponsored by the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, at its Headquarters in Paris next week. Participants at the Student Forum on Higher education include representatives of student organizations and employers as well as policy-makers, non- governmental organizations and educators. They will discuss such key issues affecting higher education as increased demand for education, reduced public funding and the urgent need to adapt studies to the labour market. Forming the basis for their discussions is a major new critical report on the quality and relevance of higher education prepared by 11 international student associations representing more than 400,000 members worldwide, according to UNESCO. The forum will make recommendations for adapting higher education to needs of the 21st century. 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 |