ECONOMIC SANCTIONS LEGITIMATE FOREIGN POLICY INSTRUMENT, UNITED STATES TELLS ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE

13 November 1997

Press Release
GA/EF/2797

ECONOMIC SANCTIONS LEGITIMATE FOREIGN POLICY INSTRUMENT, UNITED STATES TELLS ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE

19971113 Committee Concludes Consideration of Trade and Development, Natural Disaster Reduction, Desertification, Training and Research

Economic sanctions were a legitimate instrument of foreign policy, the representative of the United States told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this afternoon, as it concluded its consideration of several agenda items, including trade and development, natural disaster reduction, desertification and training and research.

When faced with unacceptable international behaviour, economic sanctions were one of a series of steps available to press for change, the United States representative said. The United States had the sovereign right to decide with whom it would trade and where its investment dollar would flow. While it was always preferable to act multilaterally, there were times when his Government had no choice but to act unilaterally.

The representatives of the Sudan and Libya said, however, that economic sanctions were based on falsehoods and sent the wrong signals to the affected countries. Coercive measures and laws inflicted harm on many international parties and ran counter to international laws and instruments.

Also this afternoon, the Committee concluded its consideration of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

A representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said the central development challenge was to increase food production, while reducing land degradation. An important dimension of that challenge was the poverty concentrated in degraded drylands and in the resource-poor households. That household dimension of food insecurity manifested itself with particular severity in environmentally vulnerable areas.

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Statements on the topic were also made by the representatives of San Marino and Senegal, as well as a representative of the World Meteorological Organization.

Effective coordination among the institutions involved with research and training in the United Nations system was needed to avoid a duplication of effort and the proliferation of institutions, the representative of Argentina said, during the Committee's consideration of training and research. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) should be the centre of all training activities in the system. Also, it was important to examine the content of training, as well as the orientation and guidance given by the training institutions.

The representative of the Dominican Republic also spoke on the topic. The Chairman of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) introduced his unit's report on training institutions in the United Nations system.

The Committee will meet again at 3:30 p.m., Monday, 17 November, to hear the introduction of draft resolutions.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to conclude its consideration of, under the general heading "environment and sustainable development", the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. (For background information see Press Release GA/EF/2796 of 13 November 1997.)

The Committee was also scheduled to conclude its consideration of trade and development, under the general heading, "macroeconomic policy questions". (For background information see Press Release GA/EF/2790 of 10 November 1997.)

In addition, the Committee was expected to consider two reports on the: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Training and Research

A note by the Secretary-General transmits the report of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) (document A/52/367). The report, submitted in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 47/227 of 8 April 1993, concerns the restructuring the Institute.

According to the report, UNITAR had undergone the following changes: transfer of headquarters from New York to Geneva; establishment of a liaison office in New York; operating with no financial assistance from the United Nations regular budget; downgrading the post of Executive Director from Under- Secretary-General; downsizing and streamlining of staff; phasing out of research functions not related to training; and forging closer cooperation within the United Nations system to respond to the increasing training needs in the most cost-effective manner.

The report also contains a description of the results and shortcomings of the restructuring process. It says that the Institute had advanced during the restructuring process and demonstrated its capacity to positively contribute in its field and to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations. It now had a clearer vision of its role and potential within the United Nations system and the uncertainty over the future of UNITAR was now over. The relevance and purpose of UNITAR had largely been acknowledged by recipients and donors alike.

The main challenge UNITAR now faced, the report continues, was how to realize its maximum potential and the valuable contributions it could make to the United Nations efforts to meet the opportunities in the twenty-first century. Its fuller utilization by the United Nations system, as well as assured core funding in order to realize its maximum potential, were relevant factors. UNITAR's Board of Trustees had already launched a funding-raising

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campaign to expand its core funding and called on Member States to contribute to its general fund, in particular industrialized Member States that had used UNITAR services.

Another note by the Secretary-General transmits the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on the training institution programmes and activities of the United Nations system (document A/52/559). The objective of the report was to analyse the mandates and related aspects of the United Nations system training institutions and to propose, whenever possible, practical measures, including networking, designed to coordinate their activities.

According to the report, the Inspectors have found several problems that hinder the effective functioning of the United Nations training institutions, among them:

-- A widespread absence of training strategies, policies, guidelines and standards, both for many single organizations and for the system as a whole, formulated in direct response to the needs of beneficiary target groups and in consultation with them;

-- The lack of transparency and visibility of the activities of training institutions, owing partly to their reporting to different legislative organs, where their activities were discussed and acted upon in isolation from one another;

-- The proliferation of training institutions, programmes and activities and the consequent fragmentation of their efforts;

-- The inadequate interaction, or even total lack of coordination, among training institutions;

-- The absence of clear and well-defined procedures for the training institutions to report to the legislative organs of United Nations system organizations, as appropriate; and

-- The lack of a clear identification of training and research functions and of a differentiation between them and the consequent use of both terms indistinctly.

To respond to the ever-increasing demands of the international community, United Nations system organizations must adjust to technological change and derive full advantage from it, the report says. For their part, United Nations system staff must embrace a culture of "continuous learning" to retain their professional skills, broaden their knowledge and absorb technological innovations. It was in the Organization's best interests to encourage and motivate their staff to invest more time, including their own time, in building and developing work-related skills.

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The report also contains recommendations put forward by the Inspectors. One recommendation calls for the establishment of an effective and flexible division of labour among the main United Nations system training and research institutions: UNITAR; United Nations University (UNU) and - once its present legal status is modified from its condition as a project - United Nations Staff College (UNSC). That division of labour along general lines should be complemented by continuing full access to all training activities by all beneficiary and target groups of the training institutions.

The Assembly and the legislative organs of the JIU participating organizations should encourage a strengthening of the present informal cooperation and coordination arrangements among training institutions through the establishment of a more structured mechanism, according to another recommendation. Specifically, the Assembly and the other legislative organs should establish a coordinating consultative mechanism composed of UNITAR, UNU and UNSC acting jointly and duly networked.

The Inspectors further recommend that the Assembly should ask the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) to submit to the respective legislative organs of JIU participating organizations an evaluation report on the use and impact of the activities of the training institutions under their jurisdiction, the report says. In addition, the Assembly and the legislative organs of the other JIU participating organizations should decide to consider all major training issues under a single item of their respective agendas, to enhance the transparency and visibility of the activities of the training institutions and to stimulate cooperation and coordination.

DANIEL DON NANJIRA, of World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said his organization had been involved in the assessment of the impact of weather and climate fluctuations on food production, as well as the problem of desertification. The WMO, in cooperation with such agencies as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), promoted food production through the application of agrometeorological methods to improve land use, crop selection and management practices.

He said WMO would continue to promote: the collection, analysis and free exchange of meteorological, climatological and hydrological data and information; capacity-building in drought preparedness and management; the mitigation of the effects of drought and desertification through proper assessment and management of available water resources in the affected areas; the joint implementation of the "climate agenda" with other organizations; and research on the linkages between desertification and climate.

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Statements

GIAN NICOLA FILIPPI BALESTRA (San Marino) said closer cooperation was needed between the private and public sector to improve disaster prevention and reduction capability. The Centre for Disaster Medicine had been established in San Marino, under the aegis of the Council of Europe and the World Health Organization (WHO), to ensure better prevention, protection and organization in emergency situations.

He said a mechanism had been put in place to bring humanitarian and scientific assistance to victims of disasters. The Centre had conducted training for medical personnel, volunteers and individuals involved in emergency situations. The Centre had also begun to devote special attention to refugee relief activities and a close cooperation with relevant international agencies had been established.

VERA WEILL-HALLE, read a statement on behalf of the Director and Deputy to the Assistant President, Economic Policy and Resource Strategy Department, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Bahman Mansuri. She said the successful completion of the first Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Desertification was a decisive step towards building a global coalition to reverse the process of land degradation. The central development challenge at the global level was to find a way to increase food production, while reducing land degradation. An important dimension of that challenge was the poverty concentrated in degraded drylands and in the resource-poor households that lacked access to productive assets. That was the household dimension of food insecurity, which manifested itself with particular severity in environmentally vulnerable areas.

To achieve its objectives, the Global Mechanism should be a catalyst, an innovator and an effective promoter of financial opportunities for sustainable dryland development, she said. The innovative features of the Global Mechanism were sorely needed at a time when the configuration and orientation of traditional development assistance was called into question. The Convention emphasized a multi-source, multi-channel approach, rather than banking on a single financial mechanism. Therefore, the Global Mechanism should improve the effectiveness and efficiency of existing resource flows, in addition to catalysing and leveraging new flows and sources of finance. The Mechanism would also ensure a greater role for domestic resources and private sector initiatives, and would allow a blending of grants, concessional and other types of external finance.

IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said his country would be proud to host the second Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Desertification in 1998. International cooperation was important in combating desertification and mitigating the affects of drought. Desertification and drought were global challenges that cried out for global solutions, based on a partnership of shared responsibility. His Government appealed to those countries that had

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not yet done so, to rally around the nearly unanimous support for the Convention. The designation of IFAD as the host of the Global Mechanism, and the expected cooperation of the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), would make it possible for that critical tool to play its proper role in mobilizing and channelling resources.

The Convention seemed to be on the path towards fully translating its goals into reality, he said. The focus now should be on formulating and implementing bold national policies that would lead to the rational management of national resources, reduce poverty, and develop effective agricultural methods. In order to ensure the effectiveness of national policies, the international community must address the obstacle of insufficient resources. The establishment of an international partnership, based on unselfish motives, was essential for the success of domestic efforts. The international community must now understand and accept the interdependency of the environment, if it wanted to make headway in achieving sustainable development.

Training and Research

HOMERO L. HERNANDEZ, Chairman of the JIU, introduced the report on United Nations training institutions (A/52/559). He said that enhancing their efficiency and establishing a coordinating consultative mechanism were the two key recommendations in the report. It was important to strengthen the present cooperation and coordination among the training institutions, since no single institution was in a position to effectively coordinate those activities.

He said the subject of the report was not training in the general sense of the term, but the activities of training institutions. The complexity and scope of the subject of training could not be dealt with in the present context. Internal staff training, for instance, deserved a detailed and in-depth examination.

HORACIO FERNANDEZ PALACIO (Argentina) said there was a need for effective coordination among the institutions involved with research and training in the United Nations system, to avoid a duplication of effort and the proliferation of institutions. The UNITAR should be the centre of all training activities in the system.

It was important to examine the content of training, as well as the orientation and guidance given by the training institutions, he continued. The work done by UNITAR was useful in the dissemination of information. He noted UNITAR's cooperation with institutions in and outside the United Nations system with regard to information, research and training. The next report should contain action taken in those areas. The JIU had done a good job. It had made important observations and all the problems connected with training and research had been highlighted.

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JULIA TAVARES DE ALVAREZ (Dominican Republic) said her Government appreciated the JIU's effort to define the training institutions in the United Nations system and to provide a complete list of those institutions. The JIU's report enhanced understanding of the subject of training and research. It was important to ensure better coordination and transparency in training institutions. They should avoid duplication and ensure the proper and rational use of resources. Given the great importance of training for human resources, the JIU's useful report was indispensable in ensuring that the Organization could cope in an age of constant change.

Statements on Trade and Development

FRANK GUARINI (United States) said no country could hope to take part in the process of globalization and economic development if it could not count on its principal resource, its own people. Human capital did not simply materialize. It was not a commodity and could not be conveniently purchased. It must be cultivated in the long term. It was a distillation of a country's deepest values, hopes and dreams. A healthy, educated, well-trained citizenry was development.

Countries should prepare for the process of globalization by adopting sound social, economic and environmental measures, he continued. His Government was prepared to assist the international community, including the international financial institutions and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to facilitate that process. The continued implementation of the reforms at UNCTAD and the integration of developing countries into the global economy would demonstrate the international community's commitment to maximize, and to evenly distribute, the benefits of globalization.

His Government regarded economic sanctions as a legitimate instrument of foreign policy, he said. When faced with unacceptable international behaviour, economic sanctions were one of a series of steps available to press for change. Whenever possible, the United States worked with other members of the global community to devise a collective response to egregious behaviour that violated international norms or threatened international security. Sanctions sought to target the subject government, while avoiding to the greatest extent possible harm to vulnerable civilian populations.

While it was always preferable to act multilaterally, he added, there were times, if important national interests or core values were at issue, when his Government had no choice but to act unilaterally. The United States was firmly within its sovereign right to do so. It had the sovereign right to decide with whom it would trade, where its investment dollar would flow and who was eligible for a visa.

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ALI SULEIMAN AUJALI (Libya) said coercive measures and laws inflicted harm on many international parties. Those parties included: the developing countries, which were vulnerable to those measures; developed countries with corporations that had development ventures in developing countries; and companies based in the United States. Coercive laws were illegal and ran counter to international laws and instruments. They showed a lack of logic and represented old cultures, since rejected by the international community. In discussing those laws, delegations were showing the United States that the ideas it was propagating were fascist. Those measures and laws should not be used for punishment.

MUBARAK HUSSEN RAHMTALLA (Sudan) said the economic sanctions against Sudan were based on a falsehood. The real reasons were well known. The United States said they were meant to pressure the Sudan to negotiate with the rebels in the south. It had, thus, sent the wrong signal to the rebels. Peace talks that were being carried out between the Government of Sudan and the rebels had been suspended without reaching the desired goal, because of the wrong signal sent by the United States. That was very unfortunate.

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