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Todays Quote I call on men around the world
to lead by example: to make clear that violence against women is an
act perpetrated by a coward, and that speaking up against that violence
is a badge of honour. I call on Member States around the world: the
responsibility, above all, lies with you. I call on all of you to pledge
with me: United We Shall Succeed. Researcher Judi Bailey freelance writer from Ohio Site Index 1. Health News 2. This Page 5. Hotlines 9. Advertisers 10. The Ozone 11. FEMA 16. NASA info 17. Politico 18. AIDS Info 19. Marriage 21. U.N. Info 23. Pet Gallery 24. Natural Portraits New Photos 25. Pride Gallery A 27. This Page 28. Other News 29. Hurricane Katrina Help url's 30. Help 31. See James 32. Int'l Auto & News New Photos 33. See Safe Houses 34. Pride Gallery B 36. Travel Photos Diane Knaus New Photos 37. Wedding Photography.
IN ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION, YOUTH FROM
AROUND WORLD CONSIDER ROLES Youth from around the world
voiced their views this afternoon on the challenges facing their generation
during an interactive round table entitled “Young people:
making commitments matter”. World’s Poorest
Nations Need global aid to Improve Disaster Preparedness - UN 3 November 2005 – Despite
a global effort to improve disaster preparedness, least developed countries
(LDCs) remain ill equipped to deal with the impact of natural calamities
and need further international aid to do so, according to a senior United
Nations development official. “In the case of the most
vulnerable countries, we must realize that the impact of disasters becomes
doubly magnified,” the High Representative for Least Developed
Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing
States, Anwarul K. Chowdhury, told the General Assembly yesterday. “Firstly, they have limited,
if any, areas where they can evacuate affected populations to,”
he said at a session devoted to the International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction. “Without international
assistance, many of them do not have the ability to tackle the resultant
shortage of shelter, food, fuel and medical needs of affected populations,
let alone effectively take up reconstruction and rehabilitation.” “The progress to establish
early warning systems to the extent that present day technology allows
us has been heartening to note, especially after the Asian tsunami,”
he said, referring to last December’s Indian Ocean disaster which
killed more than 200,000 people in a dozen countries. A tsunami early warning system,
based on quake and tidal sensors, speedy communications, alarm networks
from radio to cell phones, and disaster preparedness training in vulnerable
regions, gives people time to flee to higher ground before the waves
strike.
UN agency calls for major steps mitigate effects of Natural Disasters Worldwide “While early warnings
systems exist for many such hazards, they need to be further improved
and made available to all countries, particularly to those with least
resources,” UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General
Michel Jarraud said in a message marking World Meteorological Day. The theme of this year’s
Day is “Preventing and mitigating natural disasters,” and
Mr. Jarraud recited a litany of last year’s havoc: prolonged droughts
in the Horn of Africa, parts of Europe and Asia, Australia and Brazil,
with Malawi suffering its worst drought in a decade; exceptional or
heavy rainfall with extensive flooding in various parts of the world;
and a record number of devastating hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean. He referred, too, to the catastrophic
tsunami of 26 December, 2004, which killed over 200,000 people in a
dozen Indian Ocean countries. Experts believe that many tens of thousands
of lives could have been saved had there been an early warning system
such as the one existing in the Pacific Ocean, currently the world’s
only fully functioning system. As it was several hours passed
between the quake that spawned the tsunami and the landfall of the waves
in some regions such as Sri Lanka, wasting precious time in which many
could have fled to higher ground. Mr. Jarraud noted that during
the 10-year period 1992-2001, natural disasters worldwide were linked
to more than 622,000 deaths and affected over 2 billion people. Economic
losses from water- and weather-related disasters were estimated at $446
billion - about 65 per cent of the total losses due to all natural disasters
for the period. Developing countries, especially
the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are more affected by these hazards,
thereby increasing their vulnerability and setting back their economic
and social growth, sometimes by decades, he added. “While natural hazards may not be avoided, integration of risk assessment and early warnings, with prevention and mitigation measures, can prevent them from becoming disasters,” he said. “That means that action can be taken to considerably reduce the resulting loss of life and socio-economic damage.” World Population Day 7-11-2006 UN marks World Population
Day with calls to invest in 3 billion young people11 July 2006 –
From its Headquarters in New York to hotspot frontlines like Afghanistan,
the United Nations today marked World Population Day with the focus
on the more than 3 billion young who represent nearly half of Earth’s
people and calls to answer their demand to narrow the gap between rich
and poor.“There is a clear need to answer their call,” Secretary-General
Kofi Annan said in a special message. “After all, providing for
youth is not just a moral obligation, it is a compelling economic necessity. “Study after study has
shown the benefits - to the young and to their communities - of investing
in education, reproductive health, job skills and employment opportunities
for young people. “Such returns are especially
great in the case of girls. Healthy, educated and informed young women
are better prepared to participate fully in society and contribute to
the life of their communities,” he added citing the “particularly
important” role of sexual and reproductive health information and
services in the global fight against AIDS and in allowing the young
to make better decisions about starting families. “The decisions young
people make will shape our world and the prospects of future generations,”
Mr. Annan declared. “Yet, underinvestment in the young means that
they often lack the resources, training or information to act. Governments
must, inevitably, lead the way in addressing this failing. But all of
us - policy makers, civil society actors and ordinary citizens - should
contribute in ways, both large and small.” The Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, stressed that millions of young people today are threatened by illiteracy, risks of pregnancy and childbirth, and HIV/AIDS. “Today, more than 500
million people aged 15 to 24 live on less than $2 per day; 96 million
young women in developing countries do not know how to read or write;
and 14 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 become mothers every year.
Every day, 6,000 young people are newly infected with HIV,” she
said in a message. “UNFPA champions young
people’s rights to education, health and employment. We recognize
that investments in young people promote social and economic growth.
Key to these efforts are keeping girls in school, building life skills,
delaying marriage and pregnancy until adulthood, and preventing HIV
infection. Young people have the power to drive development forward,”
she added. In the field, in Kabul, Afghanistan,
UNFPA teamed up with the Government to mark the Day at an event at the
Ministry for Culture, Information and Youth Affairs. “Today millions
of young people are threatened by poverty, illiteracy, risks of child
birth and HIV/AIDS,” UNFPA representative Alain Sibenaler said. “We will not meet these challenges unless young people are actively involved, their voices are heard, their needs are met and their human rights are respected,” he added. “More needs to be done. Today is a step forward in actively engaging with the young people of Afghanistan. They are the light of Afghanistan’s future.” Brain Drain UN Ahead of the General Assembly
High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development -- scheduled
for 14-15 September 2006 –- representatives of non-governmental
organizations, civil society and the private sector lead the four-part,
informal and interactive hearings with Member States and United Nations
agencies, which focused on the promotion of migrants’ human rights,
socio-economic policy challenges for sending and receiving counties,
and the promotion of partnerships and capacity-building to benefit countries
and migrants alike. Acting Assembly President Cheick Sidi Diarra
of Mali moderated the hearings. While stressing the absolute
necessity of highlighting “positives”, such as boosts for
receiving country labour markets and the importance of remittances --
money earned abroad and sent back to the country of origin –- speakers
cautioned against glossing over or discounting the human and social
cost of migration. They called for greater overall attention to
the root cause of much of today’s migration, as well as to the
reality that many migrants continued to remain on the margins of societies,
both in their home countries and in their host countries, with no effective
social, economic or political participation. Many were concerned that the Secretary-General’s report (document A/60/871), which served as the blueprint for the hearings, did not balance the economic dimension of migration with an equivalent emphasis on the people-centred, social dimensions of development. They were not “units
of labour” said one speaker, who noted the intersecting race, class
and gender vulnerabilities of migrants, as well as the discrimination
and social marginalization they faced, and said that an effective consideration
of international migration, therefore, must be squarely focused on,
among others, employment, social inclusion and poverty eradication. One speaker said that no real
headway could be made, unless the international community squarely addressed
the complex issues surrounding racism and gender equality. She
urged migrants and activists working on their behalf to adopt a “nothing
about us without us” stance to ensure that the concerns of all
migrants were openly discussed and taken on-board in intergovernmental
processes of refugees, as well as migrants. Another non-governmental
organization representative urged everyone to take advantage of the
hearings to press for action on issues that Governments would rather
ignore. Others echoed that sentiment, calling for special attention
to indigenous migrants, migrant victims of trafficking, migrant youth
and internally displaced persons. Examining challenges for social
and economic policies, some participants took that notion a step further,
with one non-governmental organization representative saying that the
aim of connecting development and migration should be to reinforce the
fight against the root causes of poverty. States must also consider
how a deeper commitment to human rights would improve progress towards
more equitable worldwide development, thereby reducing the pressure
to migrate. Indeed, access to education, more and better jobs,
decent working conditions and free access to basic health care were
elements that contributed to the prevention of forced migration. Several speakers pointed out,
however, that simply providing jobs or access to employment was really
only a half measure without ensuring that such employment was safe,
dignified, non-exploitive and paid fair wages. One speaker called
on the Secretary-General and other top United Nations officials to press
Member States to ratify or accede to the International Convention on
the Protection of Migrant Workers and Their Families, and to vigorously
promote and support relevant International Labour Organization instruments
and covenants, which together formed the core of the international normative
framework on international migration. Calling for an integrated and holistic approach, Peter Sutherland, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on International Migration and Development, via video-link from Rabat, where he had just attended a meeting between African and European Union ministers on the impact of migration, said that the complexities of migration today demanded that civil society and private sector actors participated actively in the debate. Indeed, civic actors,
particularly those from migrant communities, were real partners in development
today, and were critical to generating cooperation and partnerships
among all stakeholders to minimize the negative effects of migration
and to take advantage of the assets offered by migrants for development. He expected that, during the hearings, civil society would press hard on such issues as the real costs to the countries that migrants left, and how “brain drain” could be more effectively addressed. By example he said, a major discussion was under way concerning Africa, and how to protect and compensate Governments for the human capital that was lost, say, in the health-care field in societies that were already under so much stress from HIV/AIDS. Further, remittances must be protected. International and regional
banking systems must ensure that such funds were safely transferred
back to home countries and not diverted, or co-opted by corrupt or abusive
banking networks, otherwise, potential value would be lost. Among the recommendations
on the way forward, one non-governmental organization representative
called for tax relief on remittances for development, boosting cooperation
between sending and receiving countries on support for migrant business
opportunities, and including migration for development strategies in
poverty reduction strategies. Another suggested pouring money
into training unskilled migrant workers, rather than into building detention
centres and holding cells. Still, others said that the
global debate on migration must include the business community, regional
processes, and must consider issues such as the erosion of the middle
class in sending countries and voting while in the diaspora. The participants in the hearings
also expressed support for the Secretary-General’s proposal to
create a “consultative forum” on migration and development
issues, but were concerned that his report noted that such a panel would
seek the participation of non-governmental organization representatives
and civil society when Governments “deemed it desirable and necessary”.
They strongly reiterated their belief that any such forum that
did not include civil society, trade unions, migrant and their networks,
among others, could not fully articulate policy ideas that would lead
to genuine and sustainable development. Summing up the discussions, Mr. Diarra said the results of the hearings represented an important contribution to the upcoming High-Level Dialogue. Speakers had underlined the importance of ensuring respect and protection of the rights of all migrants and their families, particularly the right to life, work and equitable remuneration, among others. They had also insisted on promoting the ratification of relevant international treaties and covenants, particularly ahead of the September Dialogue. They had also recommended that the dialogue should be transparent and inclusive, so that any plans or initiatives that might flow from the event would be more people-centred, and to ensure that national security concerns or economic arrangements did not eclipse migration policies. Annan ‘deeply deplores’
Israel’s killing of three children in Gaza Secretary-General Kofi Annan “The Secretary-General
calls on Israel to respect international law and to ensure that its
actions are proportionate and do not put civilians at grave risk,”
his spokesman said in a statement. “The Secretary-General is fully cognizant of Israel’s legitimate security concerns in light of continuing rocket fire, which endangers Israeli civilians, and calls on the Palestinian Authority to do all in its power to halt such actions,” the statement added.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Distressed Over "Deliberate Targeting" 7-26-2006 I am shocked and deeply distressed
by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces of
a United Nations observer post in southern Lebanon that has killed two
United Nations military observers, with two more feared dead. This coordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long established and clearly marked United Nations post at Khiyam occurred despite personal assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that United Nations positions would be spared Israeli fire. Furthermore, General Alain
Pelligrini, the United Nations Force Commander in south Lebanon, had
been in repeated contact with Israeli officers throughout the day on
Tuesday, stressing the need to protect that particular United Nations
position from attack. I call on the Government of
Israel to conduct a full investigation into this very disturbing incident,
and demand that any further attack on United Nations positions and personnel
must stop. The names and nationalities of those killed are being withheld pending notification of their families. I extend sincere condolences to the families of our fallen peacekeepers. Shut Down Guantánamo Bay July 2006 – Five independent
United Nations human rights experts have renewed their call for the
speedy closure of the United States detention centre at Guantánamo
Bay, noting that it still holds more than 450 prisoners in breach of
international human rights law five months after they first urged that
it be shut. “We take this opportunity
to reaffirm the grave concerns and recommendations set out in our report,”
they said in a joint statement, referring to their February findings
that terrorism suspects should be detained in accordance with criminal
procedure that respects the safeguards enshrined in relevant international
law. They said they were also encouraged
that an increasing number of highly influential figures and institutions,
such as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights Louise Arbour, as well as regional organizations including
the European Parliament and the European Union Presidency, have called
for the detention centre to be closed. “We especially welcome
recent indications from the highest levels of the United States Government
of their wish to close Guantanamo Bay as soon as possible,” they
added. “In particular, we encourage
the United States, in consultation with the international community,
to develop a detailed plan of action, with timeframes, for the closure
of Guantánamo Bay,” as soon as possible, they added, calling
on UN Member States, the UN Secretariat and specialized agencies, and
the International Committee of the Red Cross to “collaborate actively,
constructively and urgently” with the US. But it is “of utmost
importance” that they not be returned to countries where they are
at risk of torture or other serious human rights violations, such as
disappearance, summary executions or arbitrary detention, they stressed. “Where such a risk does
exist, it cannot be overcome by seeking so-called 'diplomatic assurances'.
In these cases, we call upon other States to assist by accepting Guantánamo
Bay detainees for resettlement,” they said. Receiving states should make
available counselling and rehabilitation services, as well as other
legal and social support, they added, citing “the recent tragic
reports” of the suicide of three detainees, confirming “both
the urgency of closing the detention centre and the importance of providing
long-term assistance to the detainees.” The five, who serve in an unpaid, personal capacity, are: Chairman Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Leila Zerrougui; Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy; the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir, and the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Paul Hunt. "Serious Obstacles" Vijay Nambiar, Special Advisor
to the Secretary-General said both Lebanon’s Prime Minister Fouad
Siniora of and the Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, had expressed
great pain and frustration over the scope of Israel’s military
actions, and were almost incredulous that Israel had carried out actions
that would, in their view, inevitably help Hizbollah in the long run.
Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other interlocutors had
stressed Hizbollah’s responsibility for initiating the conflict.
They had made clear that Israel had decided that military operations
would continue until Hizbollah was seriously weakened. After that,
Israel would welcome a political framework that ensured no return to
the status quo ante and would facilitate implementation of Council resolution
1559. Women's Civil and Political
Rights 6 June 2006 – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has hailed a decision by Nepal’s reinstated House of Representatives to grant citizenship rights to children born to Nepali mothers as “a milestone in the advancement of women’s civil and political rights.” Previously only fathers could
pass on citizenship. The House also called for 33 per cent of civil
service jobs to be reserved for women, and asked the Government to review
all laws that discriminate against women and girls. “Gender equality is essential
for Nepal to achieve sustainable development. Every women and girl should
be treated with dignity and respect.” Sri Lanka More Barbaric “I strongly condemn this
deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers”, stated Mr. Egeland.
“They were aid workers trying to provide essential services to
some of the most disadvantaged communities in Sri Lanka who paid with
their lives for their good intentions.” The workers, who were employed
by the non-governmental organization Action Against Hunger (ACF), had
been carrying out post-tsunami humanitarian relief in Sri Lanka.
The Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) carried out a mission
to Muttur on 6 August and confirmed the deaths. The current wave of violence
in Sri Lanka, which began on 28 July, constitutes the most significant
breach of the ceasefire between the Government and the LTTE since 2002.
Some 25,000 civilians have fled their homes and villages in the vicinity
of Muttur. Humanitarian agencies have had no access to the conflict-affected
area since the onset of this most recent fighting, despite calls by
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Inter-Agency Standing
Committee Country Team (IASC-CT) in Sri Lanka. According to the United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sri Lanka,
this targeting of humanitarian staff is unprecedented throughout the
conflict in Sri Lanka. Moreover, it could have serious consequences
for the humanitarian response in Sri Lanka, both post-tsunami operations
and those aimed at assisting the populations affected by the recent
violence. In expressing his concern, the Emergency Relief Coordinator drew attention to the statement by the IASC-CT statement released today from Colombo, Sri Lanka, which condemned the killings and called for respect for the ceasefire, safe passage for civilians and aid workers, especially in the north-east of the country, and the immediate establishment of an independent investigation into the killings. Un -Women s Issues & Human Trafficking Raises Questions 1-26-2007 Amid a flurry of questions
on trafficking in persons from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women, Colombian officials described recent progress in establishing
such trafficking as a crime and prosecuting offenders. Presenting Colombia’s fifth and sixth periodic report to the 23-member panel of experts, Martha Lucía Vásquez Zawadzky, Presidential Adviser for Women’s Equity and Chief of Delegation, discussed the creation of a new anti-trafficking law and Government bodies to monitor compliance. However, experts pressed officials
for details on everything from Colombia’s national trafficking
strategy to combating sex tourism. One expert asked where complaints
about violations of women’s rights could be filed. Had the
comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking, as called for by
the agreement between the Ministry of the Interior and Justice and the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), been implemented?
Moreover, had it been publicized and used among non-governmental
organizations? In her response, one delegate
said complaints could be brought to Colombia’s Office of the Procurator
and the Ombudsman’s Office, noting that all public bodies were
responsible for addressing those complaints. Judges must give
priority to “tutela” (trust or protection) actions filed by
women over any other action. Regarding assistance to women
victims of trafficking, she said a new law, Law 905 of 2005, provided
measures against trafficking and established standards of care for victims.
Thanks to that new law, the Government had achieved significant
progress in fighting crimes domestically and internationally, as it
allowed perpetrators to be brought to justice without their victim’s
consent. Prostitution of children and
sex tourism were also of concern, another delegate added. An agreement
had been developed between various Government bodies and the tourist
sector to prevent child sex tourism. Another document signed by
32 governors and 3,400 mayors committed them to examining childhood
and adolescence issues. The Ombudsman’s Office was also party
to an agreement to ensure care for victims of sexual abuse. While commending Colombia
for its decision to decriminalize abortion in the cases of rape, serious
malformation in the fetus, or where pregnancy posed a risk to the mother,
experts wondered whether the Government would ensure compliance with
the law among medical professionals and about any plans for further
decriminalization. Addressing those concerns,
one delegate emphasized that no health provider was allowed to create
administrative obstacles to performing abortions under the Court-specified
conditions. As for further decriminalization, another delegate
added that the three branches of Government would have to act harmoniously
to carry out such a change. The Committee will meet again on Friday, 26 January, at 10 a.m. to consider Tajikistan’s combined initial, second and third periodic report. Gaza Violence Endangers Humanitarian Workers 21 December 2006 – Armed
clashes between rival Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip are endangering
United Nations humanitarian operations “and taking a population
that has been living in abject misery for the entire year to breaking
point,” the UN agency that tends to Palestinian refugees has warned. “We need an immediate
end to this mayhem before more innocent people are killed or injured,”
UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Director of Operations John Ging
said, noting that a 13-year-old schoolgirl and an UNRWA teacher were
injured in crossfire near agency schools on Tuesday while an UNRWA driver
on duty narrowly escaped injury when his vehicle was hit by gunfire
in Beach Camp, north of Gaza City. UNRWA, created in 1949 to
care for Palestinian refugees after the foundation of Israel, now provides
education, health and humanitarian aid to over 4 million people in the
Middle East. UNRWA schools have been closed in those areas of the Gaza Strip where the violence has affected the safety of children and teaching staff. In total, the agency operates 194 schools in the Gaza Strip, educating 197,000 students. Greater Understanding 18 December – Calling for greater understanding between cultures, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today warned the General Assembly that in the current atmosphere of “rising tensions among societies” all humanity must work together to strengthen and improve civilization worldwide. Mr. Annan made his remarks
while presenting the report of the High-Level Group of the Alliance
of Civilizations, an initiative he launched last year to tackle fear
and suspicion between Islam and the West. The proposal for the Alliance
was made by the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey, who were also present
at today’s Assembly session. “We should make an active
effort to learn more about each other, to understand the source of our
differences, and to discover what is best in each other’s beliefs
and traditions. Only in that way can we overcome suspicion and prejudice.
Only in that way will we heal past wounds and move ahead together,”
said Mr. Annan. The High-Level Group’s
Report, launched last month in Istanbul, analyses the state of relations
between Muslim and Western societies and puts forward a range of proposals
in the areas of education, media, youth and migration to build bridges
and promote a culture of respect, suggestions Mr. Annan said must be
built upon. “We have learned through
experience that it is not enough to publish insightful reports, and
applaud great ideas, unless we then do something about them, and put
them into action. In this period of rising tensions among societies,
none of us should simply call from the sidelines for peaceful coexistence,
and then go on with our life as usual…” “So let us work together
to transform this Report into action, and let us work to strengthen
and improve not any single society or any one nation, but all of human
civilization,” Mr. Annan concluded. General Assembly President
Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa echoed this call for action, noting also
that the diverse composition of the 20 member High-Level Group –
which includes such figures as Mohamed Khatami, the former Iranian president,
and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu – was itself a “symbol
of the Alliance of Civilizations.” “As the Report concludes,
we live at a time when tensions across cultures have spread beyond the
political level into the hearts and minds of populations. That is why
we urgently need a global agenda to support greater dialogue among civilizations
and cultures,” she said. “The main challenge before
us all is to ensure a proper balance between our legitimate attachment
to our own cultural background, and the need to relate to each other
by embracing our differences, so that we can all live in peace and harmony.” “To highlight the importance
of these issues and to promote greater dialogue and tolerance among
civilizations and cultures, inspired by enlightened ideas of humanity
across history, I intend to convene an informal interactive thematic
debate of the General Assembly in the summer of 2007,” Sheikha
Haya said. Representatives from several
countries spoke during the Assembly session and the Turkish and Spanish
prime ministers also held press conferences to publicise the Report. Later in the evening, Mr.
Annan, Sheikha Haya and other officials attended a farewell concert
for the Secretary-General by the cross-cultural West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
in the Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters. “I cannot think of a
better example than the one set by [the conductor and pianist] Daniel
Barenboim and [the scholar and writer] Edward Said – an Israeli
and a Palestinian… They were both dedicated to the cause of peace
and justice for their peoples. And they created this marvellous orchestra,
composed of young musicians from Israel and from other Middle Eastern
countries,” Mr. Annan said before the concert began. Sheikha Haya echoed these
remarks, noting that while politics “may sometimes divide us, music
can unite us. Music can transcend culture and religion. It knows no
borders or barriers…” “So, as we honour the Secretary-General, let us also celebrate the power of music to transcend barriers, and, build bridges of love, peace and understanding among peoples of the world,” she said. Next Secretary-General vows
to restore trust to United Nations 14 December – Sworn in today as the eighth and next United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon pledged that his first goal would be to restore trust in the world body, saying he would lead by example to uphold the highest levels of efficiency, competence and integrity. Mr. Ban, the former foreign
minister of the Republic of Korea, will take office as Secretary-General
on 1 January, replacing Kofi Annan, who is stepping down after 10 years
at the helm of the world body. The 62-year-old, who took
the oath of office in the General Assembly Hall, said he would “do
everything in my power to ensure that our United Nations can live up
to its name, and be truly united, so that we can live up to the hopes
that so many people around the world place in this institution, which
is unique in the annals of human history.” Speaking to the press later,
he said: “You could say that I am a man on a mission. And my mission
could be dubbed ‘Operation Restore Trust’: trust in the Organization,
and trust between Member States and the Secretariat. “I hope this mission
is not ‘Mission Impossible,’” Mr. Ban added. The Secretary-General designate
said he was looking at several individuals for the post of Deputy Secretary-General,
“with a preference for women candidates,” but would not make
a final choice until consulting further with Member States. He is also still reviewing
all Under-Secretaries-General and Assistant Secretaries-General, and
expects to announce new senior appointments early in 2007. “Secretary-General Annan,
I am more than humbled because it is you I am succeeding in what you
have described as ‘the world’s most exalting job.’ It
is an honour to follow in your revered footsteps,” he said. Promising to act as a “harmonizer
and bridge-builder,” Mr. Ban said it was essential to improve dialogue
with the countries of the world. “Member States need a
dynamic and courageous Secretariat, not one that is passive and risk-averse.
The time has come for a new day in relations between the Secretariat
and Member States. The dark night of distrust and disrespect has lasted
far too long.” And he returned to the Organization’s
foundations. “By strengthening the three pillars of our United
Nations – security, development and human rights – we can
build a more peaceful, more prosperous and more just world for succeeding
generations,” he declared. Swearing in Mr. Ban to loud applause, Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed al-Khalifa underscored his commitment to ensure that the UN lives up to its universal values and principles and, in his own words, “to cut through the fog of mistrust.” Annan calls for "end to nightmare " Darfur: UN Rights Council
holds special session; “It is essential that
this Council send a clear and united message to warn all concerned,
on behalf of the whole world, that the current situation is simply unacceptable
and will not be allowed to continue,” Mr. Annan told the 47-member
body in Geneva in a video address. “The people of Darfur cannot
afford to wait another day. The violence must stop. The killings and
other gross violations of human rights must end.” He noted that in the last
few weeks, fighting has escalated and conditions for the civilian population
have got even worse with armed militias attacking with impunity, destroying
dozens of villages, displacing thousands more to join the over 2 million
already uprooted, and raping large numbers of women. Some 4 million
people now need humanitarian aid. “I urge you to lose no
time in sending a team of independent and universally respected experts
to investigate the latest escalation of abuses,” he said. “It
is urgent that we take action to prevent further violations, including
by bringing to account those responsible for the numerous crimes that
have already been committed. That is the very least you can do to show
the people of Darfur that their cries for help are being heard.” Like Mr. Annan, UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights Louise Arbour deplored the impunity with which human
rights abusers are still able to act in the Darfur conflict between
Government troops, allied militias and rebel forces, who took up arms
in 2003 in pursuit of greater autonomy and economic development. Nearly two years ago, a UN-appointed
International Commission of Inquiry found that crimes against humanity
and war crimes had been committed, including mass killings of civilians,
systematic rape of girls and women, torture, destruction of villages
and burning of family homes. A sealed list of 51 names of alleged perpetrators
was handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC). “The same atrocities
and violations of international humanitarian law, which led the Security
Council to refer the case to the International Criminal Court in January
2005, keep occurring on a daily basis,” Ms. Arbour told the special
session, the fourth the Council has held since its installation in June.
The other three dealt with the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians
in Gaza and Hizbollah in Lebanon. “In the past six weeks
alone, 80,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, several hundred
civilians, including women and children, have been killed,” she
said. “Mass rape and other egregious human rights abuses have not
subsided. A lack of accountability allows and even emboldens perpetrators
to hold sway over the population in Darfur. The spill-over of the conflict
has now engulfed parts of Chad and of the Central African Republic.” She recited a litany of abuses:
increased ground attacks on civilians by the Sudanese Armed Forces and
large groups of armed men, many identified by eyewitnesses and victims;
indiscriminate bombardment by Government planes; civilian casualties,
displacement and pillaging of civilian property due to Government, militia,
rebel and bandit attacks; hindrance of humanitarian access to people
in need. Threats of murder, sexual
violence, other physical assault and robbery prevent internally displaced
persons from leaving the camps and returning to their land, arbitrary
arrest and detention as well as torture by Government security forces
continue, credible evidence points to the Government’s upgrading
the militias’ arsenals and mobility instead of disarming them as
required by a peace agreements with some of the rebel groups, Ms. Arbour
said. “The gravity of the situation
is compounded by the rebels’ abusive conduct,” she added.
“They, too, are responsible for killing, raping, maiming, torturing
and destroying the livelihoods of civilians who have the misfortune
of standing in their destructive path. And they, too, must be held accountable
for such violations of international human rights and humanitarian law
as it applies to non-State actors.” Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland also
underscored the continuing deterioration in Darfur, with violence and
direct attacks against relief workers in the past few weeks forcing
the relocation of by far the largest number of humanitarian workers
since the conflict began. The Government has not even agreed to lift
restrictions on aid workers beyond 31 January. “What we need now is
urgent action to ensure that we do not miss what may be our final opportunity
to reverse the trends that are pushing Darfur and the region towards
disaster,” he warned, appealing to the Council to maximize pressure
on all sides. “I therefore appeal to you to set aside political
divisions, and send the strongest possible and united signal that this
Council will not tolerate one of the world’s gravest human rights
crises to continue, or get infinitely worse.” Sudanese representative Farah Mustafa accused Western media of repeating lies about what was occurring in Darfur and charged that the aim of the special session was not to protect human rights but to undermine the sovereignty of weak States. He said UN human rights reports accused the Government of perpetrating violations committed by other armed groups, which the international community failed to hold to account. Responsibility to Protect 12-11-2006 First, we must give real meaning
to the principleof “Responsibility to Protect”. The tragedy of Darfur has
raged for over three years now, and still reports pour in of villages
being destroyed by the hundred, and of the brutal treatment of civilians
spreading into neighbouring countries. How can an international community,
which claims to uphold human rights, allow this horror to continue? There is more than enough
blame to go around. It can be shared among those who value abstract
notions of sovereignty more than the lives of real families, those whose
reflex of solidarity puts them on the side of Governments and not of
peoples, and those who fear that action to stop the slaughter would
jeopardize their commercial interests. The truth is, none of these
arguments amount even to excuses, let alone justifications, for the
shameful passivity of most Governments. We have still not summoned up
the collective sense of urgency that this issue requires. Some Governments have tried
to win support in the global South by caricaturing responsibility to
protect, as a conspiracy by imperialist powers to take back the hard-won
national sovereignty of formerly colonized peoples. This is utterly
false. Above all we must not wait
to take action until genocide is actually happening, by which time it
is often too late to do anything effective about it. Two years ago,
I announced an action plan for the prevention of genocide, and appointed
a Special Adviser to help me implement it. While his work has been extremely
valuable, much more needs to be done. I hope my successor will take
up this banner, and that Member States will support him. Second, we must put an end
to impunity. And yet they still do. Mladic
and Karadzic, and the leaders of the Lord’s Resistance Army –-
to name but a few -– are still at large. Unless these indicted
war criminals are brought to court, others tempted to emulate them will
not be deterred. Some say that justice must
sometimes be sacrificed in the interests of peace. I question that.
We have seen in Sierra Leone and in the Balkans that, on the contrary,
justice is a fundamental component of peace. Indeed, justice has often
bolstered lasting peace, by de-legitimizing and driving underground
those individuals who pose the gravest threat to it. That is why there
should never be amnesty for genocide, crimes against humanity and massive
violations of human rights. That would only encourage today’s mass
murderers -– and tomorrow’s would-be mass murderers -–
to continue their vicious work. Third,we need an anti-terrorism
strategy that does not merely pay lip-service to the defence of human
rights, but is built on it. But States cannot fulfil that
obligation by themselves violating human rights in the process. To do
so means abandoning the moral high ground and playing into the hands
of the terrorists. That is why secret prisons have no place in our struggle
against terrorism, and why all places where terrorism suspects are detained
must be accessible to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Leading promoters of human rights undermine their own influence when
they fail to live up to these principles. We must fight terrorism in
conformity with international law, those parts of it that prohibit torture
and inhumane treatment, and those that give anyone detained against
his or her will the right to due process and the judgement of a court.
Once we adopt a policy of making exceptions to these rules or excusing
breaches of them, no matter how narrow, we are on a slippery slope.
The line cannot be held half way down. We must defend it at the top. Fourth, let’s not content
ourselves with grand statements of principle. We must work to make human
rights a reality in each country. Of course, protecting and promoting human rights is first and foremost a national responsibility. Every Member State of the UN can draw on its own history to develop its own ways of upholding universal rights. But, many States need help in doing this, and the UN system has a vital role to play. Darfur Problems Serious Escalating violence across Darfur sparks urgent appeal from Annan7 December 2006 – Deploring the recent upsurge in violence and displacement across the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today expressed alarm that the worsening situation may have devastating consequences for neighbouring Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) as well Several hundred civilians,
including women, children and the elderly, are being killed each day
in Darfur and there are also reports of mass rapes and other gross violations
of human rights, Mr. Annan said in a statement released by his spokesman. “The Secretary-General
appeals to all parties in the strongest terms to immediately cease hostilities
and stop all attacks against civilians,” the statement read. “Those
violating international humanitarian law by attacking civilians and
relief workers must be held accountable.” In just the past six weeks,
more than 80,000 people – about 50,000 in Darfur and 30,000 in
Chad – have had to flee their homes as Government troops and allied
militia clash with rebel groups. The recent clashes have been
particularly intense in North Darfur, when dozens of villages have been
burned down or otherwise destroyed. As a result, Mr. Annan warned,
the humanitarian lifeline for 4.3 million people in Darfur, Chad and
the CAR has been jeopardized, with many people cut off by the fighting
from relief supplies. Annan Seeks Support so
Global Emergency Fund can Reach $500 Million 7 December 2006 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appealed to countries and other international donors to continuing funding the world body’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) next year so it reaches its goal of $500 million to provide rapid assistance to those most in need. At the same time the UN’s aid chief,
who also attended the high-level meeting on the Fund addressed by Mr.
Annan, told reporters that 50 donors out of the 100 or so delegations
present had pledged almost $350 million for CERF in 2007, bringing its
total funding for next year to around $400 million. In his speech at UN Headquarters in New
York, Mr. Annan praised the achievements of the Fund, which was launched
in March, noting it has already committed $230 million to more than
320 projects in 30 countries, “from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Lebanon
to Liberia.” “Clearly, CERF has shown that it will
provide assistance anywhere, and save lives everywhere. It saves lives
because it is innovative, and it is flexible. But above all, it succeeds
because of strong support from you, its donors,” Mr. Annan told
the conference, which included ministers and representatives from at
least 90 Member States. He said the Fund enabled the UN to “do more, and to do it sooner. And by alleviating suffering before situations spin out of control, it facilitates faster transitions to recovery and rebuilding.” Phiippines Mayon Volcano Mudslides The UN Resident Coordinator
in the country made the offer to the Philippines National Disaster Coordinating
Council after the typhoon made landfall yesterday with maximum sustained
winds of 190 kilometres per hour at its centre with gusts of up to 225
kph. The Council asked the UN to provide satellite imagery of areas hit by landslide. It will field a national assessment team tomorrow. Results will be known the same day, when the Government will decide whether international aid is required. According toU.N. Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, "the International Community Needs Long Term Partnerships" The Secretary-General urged
developing countries to live up to their commitments to adopt and transparently
implement comprehensive national strategies for reaching the targets,
saying, “Development will simply not happen if the developing world
doesn't get its own house in order.” Equally vital whenever developing
countries adopted sound strategies was for richer countries to live
up to their commitment to provide resources to enable those strategies
to succeed, he said. Attaining the Goals on time would be “the
single greatest service we can collectively perform for humanity”,
he said. Assembly President Sheikha
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, who initiated today’s thematic
debate on “Partnerships towards achieving the MDGs: taking stock,
moving forward”, said the event provided an opportunity for the
Assembly to make a real impact on people’s lives and galvanize
global efforts to implement the Goals’ eight main objectives; to
halve the rate of extreme poverty and hunger; to ensure universal primary
education; to promote gender equality; to slash child mortality by two-thirds
and maternal mortality by three-quarters; to halt and reverse the incidence
of HIV/AIDS and malaria; to cut in half the rate of people lacking safe
drinking water, and to forge a global partnership for development. Setting the stage for the
debate, Sheikha Haya took stock of the challenges ahead and the progress
already made. For instance, some 270 million children worldwide still
had no access to healthcare, and while the poverty reduction goal was
being met globally, the poverty level in Africa had risen over the past
decade. With that in mind, she said the international community’s
focus must be on cementing long-term partnerships for development. Echoing
the sentiments of the Secretary-General, she said the success of the
global development compact entailed the adoption of comprehensive national
strategies by developing countries and the delivery on commitments by
donors, including with additional sources, if required. The highlight of the day-long event was an interactive discussion in the afternoon, moderated by Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information, Shashi Tharoor. It featured representatives from Member States, civil society and the private sector, including philanthropist George Soros, of the Soros Fund Management; Hisham Alwagayan, of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development; Fred Tipson of Microsoft, and Joanna Kerr, of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, among others. WFP 11-9-2006 With the number of hungry
people actually increasing each year, the problem must be resolved before
any development policy can be effective. Millennium Development Goal The FAO report indicates that
food security has improved in recent years in China and Southeast Asia,
but has drastically worsened in sub-Saharan Africa where one in three
people is undernourished. The recurring food crises
of the past decade have made WFP the largest humanitarian organisation
in the world, feeding over 90 million people in 82 countries in 2005. "Food first" The agency, based in Rome,
has more than 9,000 staff worldwide deployed in crisis areas. “There should be a ‘food first’ policy – we must first deal with hunger to lay the foundation for growth and development,” stressed Morris, thanking Italy for hosting three UN agencies – WFP, FAO and IFAD – within the international cooperation on food and agriculture. "Debt-swap" The United Nations Humanitarian Response
Depot (UNHRD) in Brindisi, led by WFP on behalf of the international
community and funded by Italy, has become such a successful model that
a network of similar rapid response bases are opening up in Latin America,
the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Priority “Italy has always been one of our
main donors but, over the course of last year, from being among the
top 10 WFP donors, Italy has dropped to 25th place. We hope this is
only temporary due to the current situation and that Italy’s contribution
will better reflect its economic might, in view of its role as an important
member of the G8,” said Morris. He went on to stress that the challenge
of ending child hunger had become a priority for WFP. Order of Merit After the hearing in the Chamber of Deputies, WFP’s Executive Director will meet the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, who will confer on him the Italian Republic’s Order of Merit. UN calls on Liberia to
Curb Conflict Diamonds Council President Kenzo Oshima implementation of the necessary
reform measures, including stronger management and effective verification
and accountability mechanisms, so that Liberia can soon join the Kimberley
Process,” an international certification process, according to
a statement, read by current council president Kenzo Oshima, of Japan. While “encouraged”
by steps Liberia has recently taken to assert greater control over diamond
industry, the Council said “more needs to be done for Liberia to
establish a Certificate of Origin Regime for export of Liberian rough
diamonds,” the statement added. The statement was issued after
the Council was briefed by Ambassador Ellen Løj, chair the a
UN sanctions committee, that is backed by a five-member expert panel
monitoring the sanctions regime which was first imposed on Liberia in
May 2001. A previous ban on the export
of round logs and timber from Liberia was lifted by the Council on June
20, when it also voted unanimously to renew for six months until 20
December 2006 - the ban on the direct or indirect importation of Liberian
diamonds. The Kimberley Process is a
joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative
to stem the flow of conflict diamonds that have financed rebel movement
wars against legitimate governments in many African countries such as
Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone
and Liberia. The Kimberley certification scheme imposes extensive requirements on participants to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free from so-called ‘blood diamonds.’ The Kimberley Process, which currently has 45 participants in its voluntary scheme, including the European Community, account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds. Afghan Government, UN
seek $43 million for Drought and Conflict Victims 22 October – The
Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations today jointly appealed
for a further $43.3 million to fund humanitarian relief for people affected
by drought as well as families displaced by recent fighting in the country's
south.This funding would supplement
an appeal for nearly $76.4 million launched in July. Just over half
of that money has been received so far. The UN and the Afghan Government
estimate that, due to the drought conditions, 1.9 million people will
need food assistance – 200,000 more than predicted in July. They
say the initial plan must be extended through the start of the next
harvest in April 2007. “While we are grateful
for the generous contributions received thus far, there is an urgent
and pressing need to continue assistance to drought and conflict affected
communities across Afghanistan,” said Secretary-General Kofi Annan's
Deputy Special Representative, Ameerah Haq. The appeal also includes assistance
to an estimated 20,000 families displaced by the recent armed conflict
in Uruzgan, Helmand and Kandahar, according to the Government of Afghanistan.
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US and European Plans Biofuels "A Criminal Path" April 2008 – The United States and the European Union have taken a “criminal path” by contributing to an explosive rise in global food prices through using food crops to produce biofuels, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food. Speaking at a press conference
today in Geneva, Jean Ziegler said that fuel policies pursued by the US
and the EU were one of the main causes of the current worldwide food crisis.
Mr. Ziegler said that last year the US used a third of its corn crop to
create biofuels, while the European Union is planning to have 10 per cent
of its petrol supplied by biofuels. The Special Rapporteur has called
for a five-year moratorium on the production of biofuels. UN Food AID Cut Rations 4-18-2008 Attacks on food trucks
force UN agency to cut rations in Darfur The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today that it will have to cut rations to the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan by half because attacks on its trucks are preventing vital relief supplies from getting through. U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO MEET IN NEW YORK 17 MARCH – 4 APRIL Experts to Review Reports of Tunisia,Botswana , Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Panama.The Committee is scheduled to examine the fifth periodic report of Tunisia on 17 and 18 March; the initial periodic report of Botswana on 19 and 20 March; the third periodic report of Panama on 24 and 25 March; and the second periodic report of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 26 March. The Committee will present its concluding observations at the end of its three-week session, on 4 April. Also during the session, country
report task forces will consider and adopt a list of issues concerning
the reports submitted by Japan, France, Nicaragua and Ireland. Under the Optional Protocol
to the Covenant, 111 States parties recognize the competence of the Committee
to consider confidential communications from individuals claiming to be
victims of violations of any rights proclaimed under the treaty.
During the course of the present session, most likely during the last
week, the Committee will review a portion of these communications in closed
session. ‘IT IS TIME FOR THE WORLD TO MAKE WOMEN A PRIORITY’ WOMEN’S UN COMMISSION TOLD Closing Education Gender Gap,
Equal Labour Market Access, Inequality and HIV/AIDS, Global Gender Architecture
among Issues Addressed “It is time for the world
to make women a priority,” said Safiye Cagar, Director of Information,
Executive Board and Resource Mobilization Division, United Nations Population
Fund, who stressed that “everything possible” must be done to
reduce the feminization of poverty and unleash the full potential of half
the human race to advance peace, development and human rights. She
was among the nearly 55 delegations taking the floor today who discussed
action plans to promote women’s advancement, or called on Governments
to increase emphasis on the gender dimensions of development. She recalled that, at the 2005
World Summit, world leaders had agreed to key policy actions to advance
women’s empowerment, including increased investments in universal
education to close the gender gap in schools by 2015, and promoting women’s
rights to own and inherit property and have access to resources such as
land, credit and technology. To accelerate action, those leaders
had also agreed to increase the representation of women in Government
decision-making. Real investment in women could create ripples that
brought about waves of positive change, and such change was urgently needed
and long overdue, she said, calling on Governments to stand by their commitments. In the same vein, Evy Messel,
Director of the Bureau for Gender Equality of the International Labour
Organization (ILO), said decent work was not only about the quantity of
jobs. It was also about quality. The struggle for equal labour
market access for women was marked by slow progress, and worldwide only
67 women were economically active for every 100 men. Women were
more concentrated in less productive jobs, such as the care economy, the
agricultural sector and services characterized by substandard terms and
conditions of work. That situation was even worse for young women,
particularly young educated women. Gender issues were integrated
into ILO’s Decent Work Agenda through the four pillars -- rights,
full employment, social protection and social dialogue, she said.
Technical, institutional, human and financial resources must be invested
to ensure that the gender dimension was given prominence. Specific
outcomes with indicators must be developed. Moreover, Governments
as well as workers’ and employers’ organizations must increasingly
invest in enhancing women’s capacity to organize and to have their
collective voices heard at all levels in the world of work. That said, she stressed that
there were more resources available for AIDS than ever, adding:
“We must now ensure that these funds are used effectively to tackle
the underlying societal drivers of the epidemic, including gender equality.”
Among other things, UNAIDS urged funding directed at women’s organizations,
which were often best placed to reach vulnerable communities. Funding
must also be committed to support the capacity-building, so such groups
could meaningfully participate in national development planning and in
planning national responses to AIDS. Among the civil society organizations
participating today, a representative of women’s groups dealing with
global gender architecture and women’s development, said that, while
significant advances for women had been made thanks to the United Nations
efforts, the Organization still lacked an effective mechanism to deliver
on commitments already made during numerous women’s forums. “There are a few small
agencies focusing […] and the larger agencies have limited mandates,”
she said, calling on Member States to act now to create a stronger United
Nations entity for women headed by an Under-Secretary-General to ensure
a high level of decision-making. The new entity required an extensive
field presence and programmatic mandate, with substantial and predictable
resources, including a minimum of $500 million to $1 billion. Further,
it should involve civil society and promote gender mainstreaming by integrating
gender equality and women’ rights. In what he called a “highly
informal” summary of the debate, Commission Chairperson Olivier Belle
( Belgium) said that the discussion had been “fruitful and lively”
and had been enhanced by contributions from senior ministers, and representatives
of United Nations agencies and funds. Representatives of non-governmental
organizations had also participated actively. It had been heartening
to hear countries share national experiences aimed at improving the status
of women in various societies. It had also been interesting to hear
legislative measures that had been taken to that end. He also underscored the appeal
made by many delegations for more and better analytical data and statistics.
Indeed, figures made it possible to identify problems and create
targeted, well thought out policies. He also recalled that many
delegations had supported the Secretary-General’s launch of a global
campaign to combat violence against women. The statements made on
financing gender equality would be helpful in the run-up to the Doha Review
of the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development.
To those delegates returning to their capitals, he said now they
had ample evidence to convince their Finance Ministers to step up their
efforts to finance gender equality and the empowerment of women. Also making statements were
the Minister for Women’s Affairs of Haiti and the Deputy Minister
of Afghanistan, as well as a senior Government official of the Gambia. Also speaking were representatives
of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The representatives of several
non-governmental organizations also made statements, including the African
Women’s Caucus, Western Asia Women’s Caucus, International Network
of Liberal Women, Girls Caucus and the World Youth Alliance, American
Association of Retired Persons, Latin American and the Caribbean Women’s
Caucus, the International Council of Women and Women’s Information
Organizations. The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 5 March, to hear the introduction of draft proposals and to begin consideration of its ag |
