DPI ISSUES 'THE WORLD CONFERENCES: DEVELOPING PRIORITIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY'

29 May 1997

Press Release
PI/1014

DPI ISSUES 'THE WORLD CONFERENCES: DEVELOPING PRIORITIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY'

19970529 Part of 'UN Briefing Papers' Series

The Department of Public Information (DPI) announces the release of a new edition in its series 'UN Briefing Papers', entitled "The World Conferences: Developing Priorities for the 21st Century". The 112-page publication provides a comprehensive picture of the central role that the Organization is playing in helping to realize the global agenda on development forged by Member States at each of the 12 major conferences organized by the United Nations between 1990 and 1996.

"The World Conferences" features an introductory overview of the interlocking themes of the cycle of conferences and the implementation of their action plans. Its 12 chapters provide essential facts on each of the conferences, as well as annexes on the inter-agency task forces established to support country-level follow-up and a selected bibliography of key United Nations publications that highlight the many interrelated conference themes.

The briefing paper places the cycle of world conferences into a broad context, emphasizing the common themes that have emerged to guide the development agenda of the international community. In his preface, paper, Secretary-General Kofi Annan points out that the conferences served as an indispensable forum where diverse points of view were aired and political consensus was achieved. "Indeed, the negotiating process itself marked one of the conference cycle's signal achievements: the forging of new alliances in favour of development and poverty eradication", he writes.

"The World Conferences" highlights some of the mechanisms which have been established as a result of the conferences, including the Commission on Sustainable Development, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the inter-agency task forces. The conferences have also played an important role in the ongoing deliberations of the General Assembly's working group on "An Agenda for Development". That working group is incorporating the new thinking on the prerequisites for equitable and sustainable development, including democratization, the centrality of human rights, the advancement of women and the eradication of poverty.

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Conferences covered by the current briefing paper include the World Summit for Children (1990), the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992), the World Conference on Human Rights (1993), the International Conference on Population and Development (1994), the World Summit for Social Development (1995), the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (1996), and the World Food Summit (1996).

Also included are the United Nations Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (1994), the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction (1994), the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (1995), and the Ninth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (1996).

The 'UN Briefing Papers' -- which replaces the 'Notes for Speakers' series -- aims at providing overviews of the key issues that are of priority concern for the United Nations. The current edition will be available in English, French and Spanish as a United Nations sales item for $12. Selected portions are available on the United Nations home page at http:/www.un.org. They appear under the heading "Conferences and Events", as well as under "General Information".

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