DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 1 April 1996
Press Release
DH/2113
DAILY HIGHLIGHTS FOR: 1 April 1996
19960401 * United Nations at turning point in history, Secretary-General tells gathering in Seoul; Member States' decisions now as important as decision to create organization after World War II.* Secretary-General identifies budgetary cuts requested by General Assembly.
* Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (UNRG) develop common understanding of future agreement, UN Spokesman says.
* UNDP launches "Poverty Strategies Initiative" to eradicate absolute poverty affecting 1.3 billion people world-wide.
* UNESCO strongly deplores international assistance organizations which froze aid to Burundi.
* Protocol amending Andean Subregional Integration Agreement signed by six States.
* * *
The United Nations was at a turning point in history when the decisions to be taken by Member States were as important as the decision to create it was after the Second World War, Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali said after receiving an honorary doctorate of philosophy at Korea University in Seoul.
Also during his address, Dr. Boutros-Ghali said the Organization's reform is the responsibility of the Secretariat, however, it is affected and often hampered by the effects of domestic politics within certain Member States. The Secretary-General also met with former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere for a tete-a-tete on the situation in the Great Lakes region. They discussed the progress of President Nyerere's efforts to defuse tensions in Rwanda and Burundi.
The Secretary-General wound up his visit to the Republic of Korea by dedicating a "UN Peacekeeper Garden". He also reviewed 100 Korean servicemen who will soon be dispatched to Angola to join the UN's mission in Angola, UNAVEM. At an international conference, he addressed a seminar on the United Nations where he spoke about the Security Council reform. He said that global issues should not be dealt with by representatives of only a few of the most powerful States.
During a meeting on Saturday, with the Republic of Korea's Foreign Minister, Gong Ro-Myung, Dr. Boutros-Ghali said the Korean peninsula was at the heart of the region, and security there could significantly contribute to peace
world wide. However, he warned that the search for improved mechanisms and techniques would be meaningless without the will of its Member States to take decisions demanded by the current opportunity. He hoped to build on the momentum of economic cooperation projects, involving both Koreas, to improve relations between them.
Dr. Boutros-Ghali and Mr. Ro-Myung also reviewed reports on the humanitarian situation and severe food shortages in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Secretary-General informed Mr. Ro-Myung that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea requested the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs to issue a second Inter-Agency Appeal to address the emergency situation in the country.
Tomorrow, the Secretary-General will fly to Tokyo on the third leg of his three-nation Asian mission.
* * *
The level of appropriations approved by the General Assembly for 1996-1997 biennium was $2,608.3 million. The budget also requested the Secretary-General to identify $154 million of cost reductions, beyond the $98 million already included in the Secretary-General's programme budget submission.
In a report, the Secretary-General has identified the impact of the reductions on the various departments. For example, in the Political Affairs Department, as a result of the reductions, part of the impact will be a reduction in meetings of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters from four to two. In the Peace-keeping operations and special missions, there will be an increase in the workload. Among the changes foreseen in the Department of Public Information, there would be a decline in the speed and quality of press coverage if those reductions are implemented.
UN Spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said today that many Member States have expressed support for the Secretary-General's efforts to enhance efficiency. Mr. Fawzi said that under the budget as approved, an estimated 800 vacancies will have to be brought about in both categories, the professional and the general service posts. That will happen this year and through the end of next year.
In a briefing today, Under Secretary-General, Joseph Connor said that the staff buyout programme will reduce the number of posts considerably.
* * *
The Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (UNRG) have developed a common understanding of the scope of the future agreement to overcome the conflict-ridden social situation, United Nations Spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said today. As another round of talks between them concluded in Mexico, they devoted considerable time to reaching an understanding on the broad lines of the future agreement on social and economic aspects and agrarian situation.
The parties will be working hard over the next two weeks to conclude the social and economic agreement which will be a viable tool in the building of peace, Mr. Fawzi said.
* * *
Omissions, negligence and conspiracy that result in crimes that fall within the jurisdiction of the proposed international criminal court should be punishable under its statute, according to discussions conducted at the Preparatory Committee on the court's establishment and its consideration of general principles of criminal law.
During these discussions, participants said the statute should endeavor to reconcile common law concepts such as intention, gross negligence and conspiracy with their analogous civil law concepts - culpa, dolus entualis, and complot. Furthermore, in regards to the principle of non-retroactivity, it needed to be clearly fixed in the statute of the proposed international criminal court.
* * *
The international community should continue its efforts in Burundi, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Federico Mayor said during his official visit to Bujumbura.
Mr. Mayor strongly deplored the attitude of certain development assistance organizations which have frozen their aid to Burundi because of the three-year long socio-economic crisis in the region. Burundian Prime Minister, Antoine Nduwayo asked the Director General to convince the international community not to desert his country especially when it most needs support to help build peace.
Before leaving Bujumbura, Mr. Mayor and the Prime Minister signed a two- year action plan for 1996-1997 designed to bolster UNESCO's activities in Burundi such as a UNESCO House for the Culture of Peace. * * *
An initiative to help countries formulate policies and strategies to eradicate absolute poverty - which affects an estimated 1.3 billion people -has been launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The "Poverty Strategies Initiative", as it is formally called, is to formulate such policies in the shortest time possible.
Administered through UNDP offices in 132 countries, the initiative will help countries formulate or strengthen national plans that address the structural causes of poverty and inequalities among various population groups. For example, it will finance national public awareness and advocacy campaigns to mobilize organizations of civil society, the private sector and other groups to join the government in a coordinated fight again poverty.
Denmark and the Netherlands have joined UNDP in contributing an initial $17 million to the initiative. The anti-poverty project responds to UNDP's mandate from the Social Summit.
* * *
The Protocol Amending the Andean Subregional Integration Agreement (Cartagena Agreement), known as the Trujillo Act, has been signed in Trujillo,
Peru. Those signing it were the heads of State of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru as well as the Personal Representative of the Presidents of Venezuela and the President of Panama, as an observer.
In a letter to the Secretary-General, the Permanent Representative of Peru to the United Nations said the Protocol to the agreement establishes the Andean Community and the Andean Integration System as the new legal framework to the challenges faced by the subregional integration process as a result of changes in the world economy. The Andean Presidents decided to consolidate and promote closer ties of cooperation by, among other actions, strengthening their democracies and eradicating poverty. The previous meeting was in Quito where an Act with that name was signed. Through it, guidelines were adopted for the institutional restructuring of the Andean Group.
* *** *
The Daily Highlights are now available on the Internet World Wide Web:
http://www.un.org/News/latest.htm