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United Nations Daily Highlights, 97-01-08United Nations Daily Highlights Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.orgDAILY HIGHLIGHTSWednesday, 8 January 1997This 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
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today addressed the issue of the Great Lakes at the Security Council. He said he was inclined to appoint a permanent special representative in the region, despite the thinking that had prevailed about another exploratory mission to the area. "I have just recommended to the Council that we should go ahead and appoint a special envoy to get on with the work, and we do not need another exploratory envoy; and I think the Council is generally in agreement with that," Mr. Annan told United Nations correspondents. Mr. Annan has asked the Secretariat to formulate a detailed proposal that he will present to the Council shortly, Acting Spokesman for the Secretary- General Fred Eckhard said. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today announced he would meet United States President William Clinton and other senior officials in both the United States Senate and the Congress in Washington on 23 January. He said that among the areas of discussion will be the relationship between the United Nations and the United States and, in particular, the settlement of the amounts due to the United Nations. "I think I would first explain to them that we all need the United Nations; the United States need the United Nations, and the United Nations needs the United States, and that we should all meet our commitments to the United Nations. I would also try and explain to them the need to work with the Member States of this Organisation," the Secretary General told United Nations correspondents. The Secretary-General will likely stay in Washington through a part of 24 January in order to hold meetings with members of the Congress, and possibly with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), according to Acting Spokesman for the Secretary-General Fred Eckhard. Meanwhile, United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher in a meeting with the Secretary-General said the United States wanted to meet its financial obligations to the United Nations, the Spokesman for the US Secretary of State Nicholas Burns stated. "Secretary Christopher assured Secretary-General Kofi Annan that this issue is at the top of our agenda with the United Nations; it is one of the most important issues that we are facing in our work with the Congress," Mr. Burns said. The United States Secretary of State told the UN Secretary-General the American administration was confident that the United States and the United Nations would now begin to renew a very close relationship, according to the Spokesman for the US Secretary of State. He added that Mr. Christopher had expressed great confidence in Secretary-General Kofi Annan. They also discussed other issues such as peace-keeping operations and the United Nations reform. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is to take up the case of Jean-Paul Akayesu on 9 January hearing testimony from witnesses for the first time, according to Acting Spokesman for the Secretary- General Fred Eckhard. Mr. Akayesu pleaded guilty last May to crimes against humanity and genocide, which took place in Rwanda between April and June 1994, Mr. Eckhard added. The Government of Rwanda has already held trials of two individuals in connection with the genocide of 1994, the Spokesman pointed out. While the statute of the International Criminal Tribunal accords primacy of jurisdiction to the Tribunal over national courts, it recognises at the same time the concurrent jurisdiction of the national courts, he stated. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Elaboration of an International Convention to Combat Desertification began its tenth session with the adoption of the agenda and programme of work for the two-week session. The work programme for the current session gave maximum attention to the Global Mechanism, according to the Committee Chairman, Bo Kjellen of Sweden. The Mechanism was established by the Convention to promote actions leading to the mobilisation and channelling of financial resources to affected developing country parties to the treaty. For the current session, the agenda of the Committee includes preparation for the first session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, to be held from 29 September to 10 October in Rome. In addition, the Committee will also attempt to finalise arrangements for the Global Mechanism, including the criteria for selecting an institution to house it. The High-Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development will hold its seventh session in Monaco from 14 to 17 January at the invitation of the Government of Monaco. During the session, the Board is scheduled to prepare a report for the special session of the General Assembly to review and appraise progress in the implementation of Agenda 21, the programme of action adopted by the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The Board, which has selected energy, water and transport as critical issues for sustainable development in the twenty-first century, will present in its report policy recommendations drawn from recent experience in many countries in addressing those issues. The Board will also discuss its future work programme. At the forthcoming session, discussions will involve not only members of the Board, but also a number of invited experts in the fields of energy, water and transport development. Discussions are expected to focus on promoting private cooperation among international, governmental and private sector organisations and on ways to promote private investment in sustainable development of energy, water and transport. As part of a major long-term research initiative on "The United Nations in the Twenty-first Century" and also to commemorate its twentieth anniversary, the United Nations University will hold a public forum at Headquarters on 9 January. The University launched in 1995 a five-year project on the United Nations system in the twenty-first century. The project's objective is to examine key concepts and strategies pertaining to the role and functions of international organisations with a view to explore possible appropriate models for those bodies that would best meet the needs of the international community in the next century. The project seeks to produce specific recommendations for policy makers and practitioners through theoretical and empirical policy studies. The project is structured around five research groups which look at five primary actors in world affairs, as follows: States, non- governmental organisations (NGOs), market forces, regional institutions and international organisations. 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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