GO BETWEEN 2001: no. 85
March-April
UN UPDATE
FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS
The Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for Financing for Development (FFD) has decided on a venue and title for the high-level event. The International Conference on Financing for Development will be held in Mexico in March 2002 at the highest political level including a summit, says the concluding resolution of the second FFD PrepCom, which ended on 23 February 2001 in New York after two weeks of meetings.
It was also decided that the third session of the PrepCom, to be held in New York, will be split into two one-week meetings. The first was scheduled for 2-8 May 2001, following the Economic and Social Council/Bretton Woods Institutions High Level Dialogue on 1 May. The second will take place in October/November 2001 during a recess of the Second Committee of the General Assembly.
To prepare for the next session, governments were asked to send the United Nations FFD secretariat by 15 April 2001 a “concise identification of possible initiatives and themes.” The secretariat will report on this inventory to the third session and provide a copy to the facilitator, Mauricio Escanero (Mexico). He will then prepare a “working paper...which will serve as the means to further focus the discussions of the substantive preparatory process.”
Building on discussions in the first session and other relevant inputs, the facilitator will then prepare for the October/November session a “concise first draft” to move the process toward the final preparatory phase.
The resolution also requests the FFD bureau to continue to explore ways and means to deepen the efforts of all relevant stakeholders at the regional level, as well as within civil society and the business community, in support of the FFD process. To strengthen participation of the business community, delegations suggested the May session devote one day to the issue of enhancing engagement with the business sector.
Contact: FFD Secretariat, Room 2018, 2 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 4690, fax +1-212/963 1061, e-mail <ffd@un.org>, website (www.un.org/esa/ffd).
IPCC REPORT
Leading climate change experts and officials from some 100 governments meeting in Accra (Ghana) in February 2001 have finalized a major report assessing effective policies and technologies for tackling greenhouse gas emissions and the threat of human-induced climate change.
Volume III of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, see Go Between 84) confirms that many cost-effective solutions to rising greenhouse gas emissions are available today. However, in many cases governments will need to address various institutional, behavioural and other barriers before these solutions can realize their potential.
G.O.P Obasi, Secretary-General of WMO which together with UNEP launched IPCC in 1988, said that “the Third Assessment Report....represents a remarkable consensus and a sound basis for international decision making.” He called upon the world's governments to consider rapidly a legislative framework for effective implementation of the many available cost-effective solutions to the greenhouse emissions problem.
The choice of energy mix and associated investment will determine whether atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases can be stabilized, and if so at what level and cost, says the report. Currently most such investment is directed toward discovering and developing more fossil resources, both conventional and unconventional.
The report concludes that the progress since 1995 on developing technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been faster than anticipated. Important advances have included the market introduction of efficient hybrid engine cars and wind turbines, the demonstration of underground carbon dioxide storage, the advance of fuel cell technology and the rapid elimination of certain industrial gases.
While a change in energy supply will play a central role, hundreds of technologies and practices for end-use energy efficiency in buildings, transport and manufacturing industry account for more than half of the potential for global emissions reductions from 2010 to 2020. The report cites some studies that show half of this potential can be realized through options that actually save money–known as “no regrets” options. However, governments will need to adopt more supportive policies if this potential is to be realized.
Contact: IPCC Secretariat, Care of WMO, 7 bis Avenue de la Paix, CP 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/730 8208, fax +41-22/730 8025, e-mail <ipcc_sec@gateway.wmo.ch>, website (www.ipcc.ch).
60 MILLION FACE FOOD EMERGENCIES
Some 60 million people in 33 countries are facing food emergencies of varying intensity, according to a report released in March by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Foodcrops and Shortages says that 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are suffering from exceptional food emergencies, caused mostly by natural disasters and civil strife. And despite improved weather conditions, effects of the drought in Eastern Africa are still being felt in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania, where emergency food assistance continues to be provided to some 18 million people by international relief agencies. The number of refugees and internally displaced people due to civil strife continues to increase, particularly in Central and Western Africa. In southern Africa serious flooding in some areas, particularly in Mozambique, has caused loss of life and damage to property, infrastructure and crops.
Asia has seen a grave food crisis emerge in Afghanistan, caused by incessant civil strife and successive droughts and harsh winters. In Mongolia, another extremely cold winter has killed large numbers of livestock, aggravating the food insecurity of nomadic herders who lost millions of their livestock last year. A total of 11 countries in Asia are reported to be facing food emergencies.
In Central America, El Salvador's food production and marketing in 2001 will be constrained by the damaged infrastructure caused by earthquakes that hit the country in early January and mid-February. In South America, the wheat harvest is completed and prospects for coarse grain crops in the field are favorable, says the report.
One of the coldest winters on record in the United States contributed to reducing yields. Official estimates indicate that the winter wheat area has declined by 5% since last year–the lowest level since 1971. Dry conditions at sowing time in the main growing areas are reportedly the major reason.
Food Crops and Shortages forecasts that the winter grain area planted in the European Community is likely to decline from last year due to unfavourable weather. It also says that persistent drought and high temperatures in central and eastern Europe will negatively affect the 2001 cereal harvests. In Russia, displaced people in Chechnya and surrounding republics continue to need food assistance.
Contact: John Riddle, Information Officer, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 3259, fax +39-06/5705 3699, e-mail <john.riddle@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org/WAICENT/faoinfo/economic/giews/ english/giewse.htm).
SECURITY COUNCIL SUMMIT REVIEW
The UN Security Council met in a day-long session on 7 March 2001 in New York to review commitments made at its Summit meeting last September (see NGLS Roundup 62), which aimed at strengthening the UN's ability to address challenges to peace and security.
During the Summit, which was addressed by 14 heads of state or government and one foreign minister, Resolution 1318 was adopted which committed the Council to:
-- act preventively in the future;
-- improve the UN's capacity to act effectively; and
-- act quickly and decisively.
The Summit also produced a declaration committing the Council to such principles as: treating all regions of the world equally; strengthening peacekeeping and other instruments at its disposal; contributing to addressing the root causes of conflict; giving special attention to Africa; and strengthening cooperation and communication between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations.
At the March review, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Council the task it faced was to establish progress it had made in overcoming the “crisis of credibility” of the UN. Noting that Council resolutions were not “self-implementing” and “their impact on reality” depended on subsequent effort, he said it was vital that delegates attending the Council's meetings maintained a constant dialogue with their capitals.
“This dialogue needs to start before a resolution is passed,” he said, “and it needs to continue long afterwards….Only through a much deeper and broader involvement of Member States, reaching up to the highest political level, can the will and resources needed to implement your resolutions be mustered.”
The Council was told by several delegations, including Egypt and Algeria, that it was still not treating conflicts equally in all regions of the world, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. Its efforts to involve states that contributed troops to peacekeeping missions in its work were described as not yet adequate. Egypt and Pakistan both emphasized the need for the formal and institutionalized participation of troop contributors in decision making at all stages.
Canada said it was pleased with the Security Council's response to the Report of the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations, known as the Brahimi Report (see Go Between 82). Canada noted there had been changes in decision-making processes for operations, including progress on transparent three-way relationships among the Council, UN Secretariat and troop-contributing countries.
The representative of Sweden, on behalf of the European Union (EU) and associated countries, emphasized that the UN's role could not go beyond the will of the parties involved in a conflict. Unless there was a real desire for peace, the EU said, there were limits as to what the international community could do. Conflicts could not be dealt with effectively without tackling their root causes.
Russia and China were wary of the Council expanding its role into what they described as areas outside its purview. Russia said the UN Charter clearly speaks to the respective duties and obligations of all the various branches of the Organization, therefore the Council should concentrate on its main task–maintenance of international peace and security.
Many delegations praised the Council's progress on issues such as “conflict diamonds” (see Go Between 84), small arms trafficking, HIV/AIDS and violations of international humanitarian law. However, Israel's continued occupation of the Palestinian territories and the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were cited repeatedly when discussing lack of progress in improving the Council's work and restoring its credibility.
UNEP REPORT ON DEPLETED URANIUM
A report released in March 2001 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) describes the environmental impact of depleted uranium (DU) ammunition used during the 1999 Kosovo conflict.
Seven and a half DU penetrators were found during a UNEP field mission in November 2000 to 11 sites out of 112 identified as targets of ordnance containing DU. Low levels of radiation were detected in the immediate vicinity of the points of impact, and mild contamination from DU dust was measured near the targets. There was also some evidence of airborne DU contamination near targeted sites.
In addition to U-238, which makes up the bulk of depleted uranium, the penetrators contained uranium isotope U-236 and plutonium isotope Pu-239/240. The presence of these transuranic elements in the DU indicates that at least some of the material has been in nuclear reactors. However, the amount of transuranic isotopes found in the DU penetrators is very low, according to UNEP, and does not have any significant impact on their overall radioactivity.
It is highly likely that penetrators are still lying on the ground surface. Although the radiological and chemical risks of touching a penetrator are insignificant, if put into a pocket or somewhere else close to the human body there would be external beta radiation of the skin. This would lead to “quite high local radiation doses after some weeks of continuous exposure,” according to UNEP.
Regarding contamination points, if a child were to ingest small amounts of soil the corresponding radiological risk would be “insignificant.” However, “from a biochemical point of view the possible intake might be somewhat higher than the applicable health standard,” according to UNEP.
There are still “considerable scientific uncertainties, especially related to the safety of groundwater,” said Pekka Haavisto, Chairman of UNEP's Depleted Uranium Assessment Team. “Additional work has to be done to reduce these uncertainties and to monitor the quality of water.”
Although the mission findings “show no cause for alarm,” the report describes specific situations where risks could be significant. There are also scientific uncertainties relating to the longer-term behavior of DU in the environment. For these reasons, UNEP is calling for certain precautionary actions. These should include visiting all DU sites in Kosovo, removing slightly radioactive penetrators and jackets on the surface, decontaminating areas where feasible, and providing information to local populations on precautions to be taken if DU is found.
Contact: Tore J. Brevik, Spokesman and Director, Information, Communications and Public Information, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623292, fax +254-2/623692, e-mail <cpiinfo@unep.org>, website (www.unep.org).
UNEP MEETING ON ENVIRONMENT AND TRADE
Ministers and high-level officials from over 70 countries said at a meeting in Berlin (Germany) in March 2001 that environmental considerations need to be taken into account in negotiation of new trade agreements. They also noted the importance of assessment as a tool that can promote policy coherence between trade and environment ministries. A new round of trade liberalization talks will likely be launched at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting in Qatar in November.
The Berlin meeting, held under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Germany, examined the linkages between environment, sustainable development and trade policies which are often in conflict with one another.
Klaus Töpfer, UNEP Executive Director, said that over the last 50 years there has been a rapid expansion of world trade, with the total value of global exports growing from US$350 billion in 1950 to almost US$5.5 trillion in 1999.
“Trade liberalization contributes to economic growth,” he said, “yet the benefits have not been fairly shared between countries and, in some cases, have led to greater environmental degradation and increased poverty. One part of the solution is for trade and environment policymakers to work together to develop mutually supportive trade and environment policies. Such collaboration will maximize the economic and ecological benefits that can be gained from trade liberalization.”
Discussions at the meeting, which included representatives from trade as well as environment ministries, focused on the methods for conducting environmental assessments of trade policies at the national level, the relationship between Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) and the WTO, and the role of economic instruments in promoting coherent, consistent trade and environment policies.
Participants examined UNEP-led country studies that show how environmental assessments can help maximize the net development gains of trade liberalization by minimizing negative environmental effects. They then focused on concrete solutions to the complex trade and environment relationship.
Contact: Robert Bisset, Office of the Spokesman/Director, Communications and Public Information, UNEP, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone +254-2/623084, fax +254-2/623692, e-mail <robert.bisset@unep.org>, website (www.unep.org).
GROUPS OF EXPERTS ON ENERGY
Meeting for its second session from 26 February to 16 March 2001 in New York, the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable Development (see Go Between 80) focused on issues including accessibility of energy, energy efficiency, renewable energy, advanced fossil fuel technologies, nuclear energy technologies, rural energy, and energy and transport. The Expert Group also examined the overarching issues of research and development, information sharing and dissemination, making markets work better, technology transfer, capacity building, mobilization of financial resources, and public participation.
In delivering their general statements, delegations offered views on policy options and where the energy discussions should take place within the myriad of fora devoted to sustainable development. Developing countries highlighted the growing demand for energy in the developing world and the current inequities in energy consumption. They also stressed the need to improve access to energy services, develop cleaner energy technologies and the transfer of technology, and the importance of new and additional resources from their developed country partners.
Some industrialized country delegations underscored the importance of renewable energy technologies, cleaner fossil fuel technology, and considering energy within an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable framework. One group of industrialized countries said future energy policies should emphasize open and competitive energy markets within regulatory frameworks that promote sustainable development.
In its deliberations the Expert Group used a text put forward by the two Co-Chairs, Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl (Austria) and Mohammed Reza Salamat (Iran). In what proved to be contentious negotiations, governments were unable to reach consensus on the entire document. They forwarded a text that will require further negotiations to the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-9) meeting from 16-27 April 2001 in New York.
One of the most divisive issues proved to be nuclear energy; some delegations, arguing for the right to have this technology as part of a country's energy mix, chose to focus on increasing safety standards. Others suggested that concerns about safety, spent fuel and waste management made nuclear energy incompatible with sustainable development. This was also stressed by small island developing states, a number of which called for the phase-out of transboundary movements of nuclear waste.
One significant industrialized negotiating group, lacking consensus, took an accommodating position on nuclear energy. It focused on improving the safety standards associated with this technology and supported national regulatory agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). NGOs expressed concern with what they described as a lack of leadership from this large group.
A large number of developing countries also expressed diverging positions on nuclear energy; some wanted to continue their use and development of the technology while others said it was an inappropriate energy option for all developing countries. In this connection, one leading oil-producing nation on several occasions called for the phase-out of nuclear energy. The text on nuclear energy, in its entirety, was forwarded to CSD-9 for further negotiation.
The issue of international cooperation also proved difficult, as delegations disagreed over the role of the Expert Group in relation to other fora dealing with sustainable development and its related issues. Several developing countries preferred to see energy issues integrated into the process leading to the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development (Rio+10). While many delegations supported the idea of improving international coordination, as well as within the UN system, there was no agreement on strengthening the UN's role in the area of energy for sustainable development. The entire section on international cooperation would require further negotiation at CSD-9.
Other areas of disagreement requiring further negotiation by CSD-9 include:
-- advanced fuel technologies and carbon sequestration;
-- the goals of poverty eradication and economic development taking priority over the goal of promoting renewable energies;
-- making markets work better; and
-- the elimination of subsidies on energy production and consumption.
The outcome of the second session and will also be discussed by the Commission under the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Energy and Transport.
The formation of the Ad Hoc Group of Experts was mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1997 in order to examine the complexities and interdependencies inherent in addressing energy issues within the context of sustainable development. The Group first met in March 2000 to prepare a report that was adopted by CSD-8.
Contact: Zehra Aydin-Sipos, Major Groups Programme Coordinator, Division for Sustainable Development, UN/DESA, 2 United Nations Plaza, 22nd Floor, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 8811, fax +1-212/963 4260, e-mail <aydin@un.org>, website (www.un.org/esa/sustdev).
UN FORUM ON FORESTS MEETING
The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), which met at UN headquarters from 13-16 February 2001, has decided to base its secretariat in New York. The decision was taken as the Forum finished up its organizational session and informal consultations to set a new approach toward international forest policy.
The coordinator and secretariat Head of the UNFF, Jagmohan Maini, said that the “Group of 77 developing countries and China emphasized that the secretariat should be located in New York because this is where their missions can deal with this issue more effectively.”
These countries, he noted, “wanted to see a close synergy between the UN Forum on Forests and the Commission on Sustainable Development, as well as other functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council [ECOSOC].”
The Forum, established last October as a subsidiary body under ECOSOC (see Go Between 83), works as a permanent negotiating venue for sustainable forest management. Some of the issues it will address include the continuing high rates of deforestation–some 13 million hectares of forests are lost each year, mainly in the tropics–and other longstanding and politically-sensitive issues.
These include lack of capacity in developing countries concerning sustainable forest management, and poverty alleviation through forest development and trade issues such as illegal logging. The UNFF has also been charged with assessing, within five years, the parameters of a mandate for developing a legal framework for all types of forests.
The Forum will include ministerial segments and is open to all governments. Participation by groups including NGOs, the private sector and other interested stakeholders is planned to promote dialogue and coordinated action. As part of the new arrangement on forests, ECOSOC has also invited heads of relevant international organizations to form a Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). It would aim to support UNFF's work and enhance international cooperation on forest-related issues.
In response to ECOSOC's invitation, members of the high-level Interagency Task Force (ITFF) have initiated a process to form the Partnership by the first substantive session of the UNFF from 11-22 June 2001 in New York.
The first substantive session will be followed by–over the next five years–two meetings in Geneva, one in Costa Rica, and a fifth in New York. It was also decided to elect a new bureau every year. The agenda for the first session will include a multi-year programme of work and Plan of Action.
The UNFF secretariat plans to launch a Calendar of Major International Forest-Related Events, which will be updated regularly. The first calendar is available on website (www.un.org/esa/sustdev/unffdocs/unff2001).
Contact: Secretariat, United Nations Forum on Forests, Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Social and Economic Affairs (DESA), 2 UN Plaza, 12th Floor, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 6208, fax +1-212/963 3463, e-mail <vahanen@un.org>, website (www.un.org/esa/sustdev/forests.htm).
UNECE EMISSIONS REPORTING
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched negotiations in Geneva in February on a legally binding instrument requiring companies to report to the public about their polluting emissions into the environment.
Under the new law, countries will have to set up pollution inventories known as pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs). These systems require corporate polluters to report periodically on their emissions of certain polluting substances to air, water and land, as well as their off-site transfers of such substances for treatment or disposal. All this information “is reported electronically and made accessible to the public, including through the Internet, subject to limited exemptions,” according to the UNECE.
PRTRs have already proved extremely effective in reducing pollution, said Kaj Bärlund, Director of the UNECE Environment and Human Settlements Division, even though they regulate information about pollution and not pollution itself. But by systematically bringing information on emissions into the public domain, PRTRs create public pressure to reduce pollution. The US system, known as the Toxics Release Inventory, is one of the most well-established PRTR systems. Few countries in Europe have so far developed PRTR systems, though some have plans to do so.
The new UNECE law will be established under the auspices of the Aarhus Convention–the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. The Convention is expected to enter into force this year. The new PRTR instrument was planned to be ready for adoption at the Fifth Ministerial Conference in the Environment for Europe series, scheduled in Kiev (Russia) in May 2003.
Contact: Jeremy Wates, Secretary to the Aarhus Convention, UNECE Environment and Human Settlements Division, Palais des Nations, Office 332, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 23 84, fax +41-22/907 0107, e-mail <jeremy.wates@unece.org>, website (www.unece.org/env/pp).
BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY MEETINGS
Representatives of the 180-member governments of the Convention on Biological Diversity met in Montreal (Canada) from 12-16 March 2001 to examine how best to detect, eradicate and control species that cross the oceans and other barriers to colonize new regions. Once in the new regions they can threaten the native plants, animals and ecosystems.
“Over the past few centuries,” said Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), “invasive alien species have caused untold damage to natural ecosystems and human economies alike. In today's highly integrated world, where tourism and trade offer more and more opportunities for unwanted species to hitchhike to new homes, we urgently need a more effective international system for turning back the tide of harmful non-native species.”
The meeting considered draft principles for guiding action against invasive alien species. The principles relate to issues such as the precautionary approach, the ecosystem approach, border controls and quarantine measures, intentional and unintentional introductions, eradication, control and containment. The meeting also considered national reports detailing governments' current efforts as well as case studies.
The sixth meeting of the Convention's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), which met from 12-16 March in Montreal, addressed a range of other biodiversity matters. These included marine and coastal biodiversity, in-land water systems, scientific assessments, the Global Taxonomy Initiative, biodiversity and climate change, and migratory species.
The meetings' results and recommendations will be forwarded to the Conference of the Parties when it holds its sixth meeting in April 2002 in the Hague (Netherlands).
Contact: Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, World Trade Centre, 393 St Jacques Street, Office 300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9, telephone +1-514/288 2220, fax +1-514/288 6588, e-mail <secretariat@biodiv.org>, website (www.biodiv.org).
INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES
More than 110 countries have adopted a Plan of Action against illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing at a March 2001 meeting in Rome at the Intergovernmental Committee on Fisheries.
The voluntary agreement, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aims to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. Such practices are found within and outside exclusive economic zones (200 miles from coasts) and account for up to 30% of total catches. They are also blamed for over-fishing of several high value fish stocks, and in extreme cases can lead to the collapse of a fishery or seriously affect efforts to rebuild fish stocks that have been depleted.
“The Plan of Action will make it more difficult for fishing vessels to threaten the sustainability of the world's fisheries resources,” said Ichiro Nomura, FAO's Assistant Director-General of the Fisheries Department. “With this new plan, the international community has a powerful tool to fight illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.”
The Plan of Action calls upon states to ensure that their nationals do not support or engage in IUU fishing. Among other things, it says that no vessel should be allowed to fish unless so authorized. States should cooperate to identify those who are the operators or owners of vessels involved in IUU fishing, and should avoid giving economic support or subsidies to those companies, vessels or individuals.
The Plan of Action also stresses and promotes “flag state” responsibility. It says countries should ensure, before they register a fishing vessel, that vessels entitled to fly their flag do not engage in or support IUU fishing.
It also calls for better cooperation, information and data sharing between countries. For this purpose, a vessel monitoring system should be established, it says.
The Committee also decided to set up a Sub-Committee on Aquaculture to deal with important emerging issues connected with this food-producing activity. FAO said the Sub-Committee “would serve as an intergovernmental mechanism for information exchange, discussion and consensus-building on emerging issues in aquaculture,” including guidance for governments and international bodies on technical and policy matters.
Reasons to establish the Sub-Committee include the growing contribution of aquaculture to global food security and economic development; the diversity of international trends affecting the sector, which require greater international cooperation; and the increasing need to address aquaculture issues in a global forum.
FAO said China, Norway, Italy and the United States have made offers of funding to help set up the Sub-Committee. China offered to host its first meeting in conjunction with a gathering of the World Aquaculture Society, and an International Aquaculture Exhibition in Beijing in April 2002. Norway has offered to host the second session, also in conjunction with an international exhibition on aquaculture in August 2003.
Contact: Lucia D'Aleo, Media Relations Office, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 2520, e-mail <lucia.daleo@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org/fi/default.asp).
PLANT GENETIC RESOURCES IU
Participants met in Rome (Italy) from 5-10 February 2001 for the fifth Inter-Sessional Contact Group meeting on the Revision of the International Undertaking (IU) on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity (see Go Between 84).
Over 100 people from 38 countries, along with representatives of intergovernmental and non-government organizations, took part in the meeting. It aimed to continue discussions on coverage of the multilateral system, governing body and secretariat, amendments of the undertaking and annexes, and a proposed article on supporting components of the multilateral system. There was also discussion on the legal basis of the IU in relation to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
In April 1993 the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, currently comprised of 166 countries, considered implications for the IU of the 1992 Earth Summit and the Convention on Biological Diversity. As a result, the commission agreed that the IU should be revised in order to be in harmony with the Convention. In November 1994 a first negotiating draft, grouped into 14 articles, was reviewed by the commission.
Contact: José Esquinas-Alcázar, Secretary, Committee on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, I-00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 4986, fax +39-06/5705 6347, e-mail <jose.esquinas@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org).
ECOSOC AFRICA POVERTY PANEL
The first in a series of panel discussions held in connection with the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was held at UN headquarters in New York on 6 February 2001.
The panel, complementing ECOSOC's theme on the role of the UN in supporting the efforts of African countries to achieve sustainable development, focused on The Challenge of Ending Rural Poverty: Opportunities and Options for Africa. It coincided with the release of the International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) Rural Poverty Report 2001 (see Go Between 84).
The panel was chaired by ECOSOC President, Ambassador Martin Belinga-Eboutou (Cameroon). It opened with an overview of rural poverty in Africa by Mr. Fawzi Al-Sultan, IFAD President. Mr. Al-Sultan noted that 75% of the world's poorest people live in rural areas–with the highest proportion in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). He said this figure will only drop to about 60% by 2020. A focus on rural poverty and agricultural development was crucial to the reduction of overall poverty, he said, adding that “the neglect of agriculture, in terms of both international development cooperation and domestic resource allocation, must be redressed if we hope to achieve the challenging poverty targets of the Millennium Summit.”
Gary Howe, Director of the Eastern and Southern African Division of IFAD, pointed out that poverty reduction “never actually took off in Africa” despite the fact that most rural poor are not unemployed, nor for the most part marginalized in areas affected by land degradation and desertification. Among the problems he highlighted were poor access to health care and education; “very unequal access” to land and water; poor access to technology; poor communications and transportation infrastructure; and an urban bias in development expenditure.
He also noted that official development assistance (ODA), including from international financial institutions (IFIs), to the agricultural sector had significantly declined. Describing poverty as “a social and political fact,” he called for improved governance, direct integration of the rural poor into decision-making processes that affect their livelihoods, and expanded national development support for small-scale agriculture in association with the private sector. At the international level, he supported the abolition of trade barriers, which Mr. Howe said had cost Africa more than that for which debt reduction could ever compensate.
Professor Michael Lipton of UK-based Sussex University also argued for a realignment of aid toward agriculture. Concurring with other panellists that SSA was marked by extreme land distribution inequity, he highlighted the necessity for improved water and irrigation management. Irrigation, he said, had been key to reducing rural poverty in South and East Asia, while in SSA only 3% of arable land was being properly irrigated. He noted that on average 50% of household income in SSA was spent on food staples, whose production yields were “crawling.”
Mr. Lipton called for land reform, which he said could be achieved in a “market-friendly and non-confiscatory” manner. This would prove labour intensive and therefore increase demand for the poor's labour which in turn could improve their bargaining power. Farmers would be able to increase staple yields and grow enough to feed themselves. It would also be possible for them to accumulate capital for reinvestment by saving money previously spent on purchasing staple foods. Owning land would enable farmers to secure credit previously denied them.
Pelucy Ntambirweki, Executive Director of Ugandan Women's Effort to Save Orphans (WESO), highlighted the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on rural poor. She described the disease not only as a health problem that had caused enormous suffering and destabilization of national health systems, but as a critical development issue.
Responding to a description of rural to urban migration patterns as “the migration of despair,” Ms. Ntambirweki noted that once individuals became sick and weak with AIDS they migrate back to the countryside. This places enormous strain on rural areas. Her organization had found that charitable “handouts” did not have much impact on rural poverty, and she called for long-term economic empowerment of households, in particular for women, including education, access to credit, and training in modern methods of farming.
Contact: Hanifa Mezoui, Chief, Non-Governmental Organizations Section, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), Room DC1-1480, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 8652, fax +1-212/963 9248, e-mail <mezoui@un.org>, website (www.un.org).
AID AND REFORM IN AFRICA
Foreign aid can help key economic reforms take root in developing countries, but only if recipient governments and their people broadly support the need for change, according to a World Bank report on the ways development aid influences economic policy in Africa. Without such “country ownership,” external cajoling or donor-imposed “conditionality” is unlikely to make poor countries adopt reforms they oppose, says Aid and Reform in Africa: Lessons from Ten Case Studies.
Where political leaders are committed to reform, and capable civil servants and community groups can implement change, aid increases public confidence in the reform process and attracts greater private investment in national economies. In this way, foreign aid can help deepen reform commitments and support high growth rates, says the report.
When releasing the report, the World Bank said rich countries should honor their UN commitment to devote 0.7% of their annual gross domestic product (GDP) to development aid and open their markets to developing country exports. Development assistance to Africa has fallen drastically from US$32 per head in 1990 to just US$19 in 1998, despite clear evidence of aid's effectiveness in countries with effective economic and social policies, noted the Bank.
“It is painfully ironic that just at the time when many African governments are putting in place effective social and economic policies and committing to reform, development aid is being cut,” said World Bank President James Wolfensohn. “This is exactly the wrong message for donors to send. African leaders are determined as never before to lead their own renaissance, but what they also need is increased development assistance to support those reforms and access to developed country markets. Rich countries need reminding that their current levels of foreign aid, at some 0.24% of yearly GDP, fall far short of the 0.7% target they promised to meet. The difference between these figures is worth a hundred billion dollars a year–for millions, this is the difference between life and death.”
The report examines ten national case studies during the 1980s and 1990s comprising Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
It says the studies reconfirm development assistance has little or no positive influence in poor countries that avoid economic reforms that could spur economic growth and reduce their incidence of poverty. While aid donors increasingly favor developing countries that can use their foreign aid effectively, the report warns that donors must continue to be selective. Where bilateral donors in particular give aid to national recipients regardless of their poor economic track record, “they may be insulating developing countries from the need to adopt reforms which would greatly benefit the social and economic well-being of their people.”
The report concludes that using “conditionality” to coerce developing countries into reforms, such as stabilizing their exchange rates or fostering an independent judicial system, are largely ineffective. Countries that have successfully reformed have had clear political movements leading to these changes. Countries that have made less progress typically have had powerful vested interests blocking change. Either way, economic policies are primarily domestically grown, it says.
“This report shows that aid cannot 'buy' reform in poor countries that are flatly opposed to it,” said Shanta Devarajan, co-author of the report and Chief Economist of the World Bank's Human Development Network. “Without 'country-ownership' of a national development strategy, even the most generous and well-intentioned aid packages will have little or no impact in improving the quality of people's lives.”
Contact: David Dollar, World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, United States, e-mail <Ddollar@worldbank.org>. The report is available at website (www.worldbank.org/research/aid/africa/intro.htm).
INCB ANNUAL DRUG REPORT
Growing consumption of pyschotropic substances is the main topic in this year's annual report of the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB). The report of the Vienna-based UN body warns that widespread overuse of such drugs is becoming a socially-acceptable habit, especially in developed countries, as controlled substances are readily used and prescribed for psychological or social problems. Some reasons for the oversupply of controlled substances–such as benzodiazepines and other amphetamine-type stimulants–include loose regulation, unreliable estimates and information concerning medical needs, aggressive marketing techniques, and improper or even unethical prescription practices.
“Easy availability leads to over-consumption of such substances,” according to the INCB, “either in the form of drug abuse or by fueling a culture of drug taking to deal with a variety of non-medical problems.”
The under-consumption of narcotic drugs for the relief of pain and suffering in a number of nations–especially developing countries–was highlighted in last year's report. By focusing this year on the excessive consumption of drugs in developed countries, the INCB observed that “the world situation is characterized by under-supply of narcotic drugs for medical purposes in one part of the world, and excessive consumption of controlled substances in the other part.”
Insomnia, anxiety, obesity and child hyperactivity, as well as various kinds of pain are listed among the most common problems treated by prescribing pyschotropic substances. The INCB says is it especially concerned that preference is given to “quick solutions” without looking at long-term effects, as prolonged and excessive consumption of such drugs could result in dependency and other physical and mental suffering.
The INCB is urging government authorities, health care professionals, pharmaceutical companies and consumers themselves to adopt “more responsible and ethical behaviour and adhere to a more rational prescription culture.”
Contact: INCB, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/26060 4163, fax +43-1/26060 5867, e-mail <secretariat@incb.org>, website (www.incb.org).
UNFPA: REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY
Complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death and disability for women aged 15 to 49 in most developing countries. Worldwide, some 500,000 women die each year from causes related to pregnancy, childbirth and unsafe abortion such as haemorrhage, toxaemia and obstructed labour. Many more suffer from infections or long-term injuries, according to a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Maternal Mortality Update 1998-1999 says that more than 99% of these deaths and injuries occur in developing countries, and the vast majority could be prevented if women had access to basic and emergency medical care during pregnancy, childbirth and the post-partum period.
“Yet only 53% of pregnant women in developing countries deliver with the help of a skilled attendant,” according to UNFPA, “and millions of women have no means of getting to a hospital in case of major obstetric complications.”
The report describes UNFPA-supported activities to prevent maternal deaths, including:
-- family planning information and services;
-- prenatal, delivery and post-natal care at the primary level and referrals to higher care levels for the management
of obstetric complications; and
-- prevention of abortion, management of the consequences of abortion, and post-abortion counseling.
In 1998 and 1999 the Fund spent an estimated US$105 million for such activities in 89 developing countries, and another US$3.4 million for regional and global efforts. Non-governmental organizations are involved in designing, planning, and implementing UNFPA-supported maternal health programmes in 44 countries.
UNFPA country offices are striving to reduce maternal death by:
-- upgrading primary health-care facilities to make essential and emergency obstetric care more available,
especially in rural and under-served areas;
-- providing equipment and supplies for prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care of mothers and newborns;
-- training health service providers in various aspects of maternal care, including life-saving skills for emergency
cases;
-- providing vehicles to transport women with obstetric complications; and
-- mobilizing communities to fully use available services.
Contact: Suleman Chaudhary, Technical Support Division, UNFPA, 220 East 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, United States, fax +1-212/370 0201, website (www.unfpa.org/tpd/mmupdate).
WORLD POPULATION PROSPECTS REPORT
The world population, which reached 6.1 billion in mid-2000, is growing at an annual rate of 1.3% or 77 million people per year, according to World Population Prospects: The 2000 Revision.
Published by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), the report says six countries account for half of this annual growth. They are India (21%), China (12%), Pakistan (5%), Nigeria (4%), Bangladesh (4%), and Indonesia (3%). By 2050, world population is expected to be between 7.9 billion and 10.9 billion.
The population of more developed regions, currently 1.2 billion, is anticipated to change little during the next 50 years because fertility levels are expected to remain below replacement level. And by mid-century, the populations of 39 countries are projected to be smaller than today. These include Japan and Germany (each 14% smaller), Italy and Hungary (each 25% smaller) and the Russian Federation, Georgia and Ukraine (each between 28% and 40% smaller).
In less-developed regions, the population is projected to rise steadily from 4.9 billion in 2000 to 8.2 billion in 2050. This projection assumes continuing declines in fertility; in the absence of such declines, the population of less-developed regions would reach 11.9 billion.
Particularly rapid growth is expected among the group of 48 countries classified as least developed–their population is expected to nearly triple between 2000 and 2050, passing from 658 million to 1.8 billion, despite the fact that their fertility is projected to decline markedly in the future.
However, the report indicates HIV/AIDS will have an increasing impact on morbidity, mortality and population loss. During the next five years, the number of excess deaths because of AIDS is estimated at 15.5 million. The long-term impact of the epidemic “remains dire,” warned the United Nations. “For the 45 most affected countries, the expectation of life at birth has already been reduced by nearly three years. By 2015, expectation of life is projected to stand at 60 years, five years lower than it would have been in the absence of HIV/AIDS.”
Other trends discussed in the report include the number of older persons (60 years or over) across the world, which will nearly triple from 606 million today to nearly two billion by 2050. And international migration is projected to remain high during the 21st century. The more developed regions are expected to remain net receivers of international migrants, with an average gain of about two million per year over the next 50 years.
Contact: Director, Population Division, United Nations, Room DC2-1950, 2 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 4838, fax +1-212/963 2147. See also Population Information Network website (www.undp.org/popin/popin.htm).
ILO GOVERNING BODY
Forced labour in Myanmar (Burma) and trade union rights in Colombia were key topics of discussion among governments, employers and workers participating in the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which ended its three-week session in Geneva in March.
As part of its ongoing effort to compel Myanmar to observe its legal obligation to abolish forced labour (see Go Between 84), the Governing Body reviewed the efforts of governments, employers' and workers' groups, and international organizations.
The Governing Body also heard from Rafael Alburquerque, the Director-General's Special Representative, on violence against trade unionists in Colombia. The Governing Body decided to continue evaluating the situation with a view to promoting stronger protection for trade union leaders and effective punishment for those who violate their rights.
The meeting also adopted a US$472.4 million budget, which contains new and expanded proposals. These include an increase in the number of regionally-based ILO specialists working in the global campaign against child labour, especially in its worst forms.
The Governing Body, which meets three times a year, takes decisions on ILO policy, decides the agenda of the International Labour Conference, adopts the draft Programme and Budget of the Organization for submission to the Conference, and elects the Director-General.
Contact: Department of Communication, ILO, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/799 7940, fax +41-22/799 8577, e-mail <presse@ilo.org>, website (www.ilo.org).
UNCC GOVERNING COUNCIL
The Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) held a special session on 15 February 2001 in Geneva. Among other things, the Council elected Ambassador Sverre Bergh Johansen of Norway as President, and Ambassador Jaynarain Meetoo of Mauritius as Vice-President. The UNCC, a subsidiary organ of the United Nations Security Council, was established to process claims and pay compensation for direct losses and damage suffered by individuals, corporations, governments and international organizations as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990 and 1991.
The composition of the Governing Council, which is the policy-making organ of the UNCC, is the same as that of the 15-member Security Council at any given time. The Governing Council makes decisions on recommendations made by the panels of Commissioners regarding compensation for claimants. The panels of Commissioners review and evaluate the claims submitted by governments on behalf of their nationals, their companies or on their own behalf. More than 2.6 million claims have been received by the Commission within the filing deadlines. The total asserted value of these claims (the amount sought by the claimants) amounts to over US$300 billion. Ninety-six governments have filed claims, as well as 13 offices of three international organizations, which have filed claims on behalf of individuals not in a position to submit their claims through a government.
The Commission has resolved over 99% of the claims submitted, consisting of:
-- those of individuals for departure from Kuwait or Iraq;
-- for serious personal injury or death;
-- for losses up to US$100,000;
-- for losses over US$100,000;
-- the claims of corporations, other private legal entities and public sector enterprises; and
-- those of governments and international organizations.
Compensation awarded has amounted to over US$32 billion, out of a total amount claimed of approximately US$83 billion. Funds to pay the awards of compensation are drawn from the United Nations Compensation Fund, which receives up to 30% of the revenue generated by export of Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products. The Compensation Fund receives 25% of the proceeds under through the “oil-for-food” mechanism in accordance with Security Council resolution 1330, adopted in December 2000.
Contact: UN Compensation Commission, Villa La Pelouse, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 3600, fax +41-22/917 0069, website (www.uncc.ch).
UN NARCOTICS PANEL
Nations should give renewed priority to drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation, and the United Nations should do more to help Member States combat the rising tide of amphetamine-type stimulants while continuing efforts to reduce both the supply and demand for illicit drugs. These were among key directives issued by the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which held a two-week meeting in March 2001 in Vienna (Austria).
Participants reviewed how governments and the UN were “living up to the goals and target dates” called for by the 1998 General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem (see NGLS Roundup, July 1998). At the March meeting delegates of the 53-member Commission also heard the first progress report of Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP).
Speakers noted important achievements by governments working with UNDCP toward eliminating coca in Bolivia and Peru, and opium poppy in Afghanistan, Laos and Viet Nam. At the same time they recognized “the vulnerability of many countries in Africa and the linkage between the drug problem and poverty, unemployment, regional conflicts, civil wars and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.”
The Commission voted to place three “party drugs” and one sedative under the control regime of the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and to tighten the watch over two common chemicals that are often diverted into illicit channels for processing heroin and cocaine. It called for strengthened dialogue with donor and recipient countries as a way of enhancing programme delivery.
Among other things, Mr. Arlacchi expressed his commitment to continue strengthening the quality of UNDCP programme performance including changes in its work methods and financial management system, and systematic evaluation of project results. He also confirmed that UNDCP would move to results-based budgeting.
Contact: Jonathan Lucas, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43-1/26060 3400, fax +43-1/26060 5885, website (www.odccp.org/cnd.html).
INTERNATIONAL JUTE STUDY GROUP
Negotiations held in Geneva in March 2001 resulted in the establishment of an International Jute Study Group. This legal instrument replaces the International Agreement on Jute and Jute Products, which expired in April 2000. The Conference on Jute and Jute Products was held under the auspices of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
When closing the conference, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero welcomed the new agreement and said its main innovation was its involvement of the private sector. The private sector had a potentially key role to play, he said, for example by identifying sources of funding for the modernization of the jute industry and by developing new end-uses for jute, a biodegradable and renewable natural resource. In many respects the future would be increasingly determined by the growing interrelationship between trade and the environment, he added.
The new entity succeeds the International Jute Organization, which was established under the first International Agreement in 1982. The Study Group is intended to promote the expansion of international trade in jute and jute products by maintaining existing markets and developing new ones, including the introduction of new products and the development of new end-uses.
It is also aimed at facilitating the improvement of structural conditions in the jute sector by enhancing productivity and quality, and promoting the application of new processes and technologies.
The Study Group, which may subsequently apply to be designated as an international commodity body, may undertake, sponsor or supervise projects designed to improve the economic well-being of the millions of persons working in the sector, especially in Bangladesh and India, the top two producing countries.
The new instrument will enter into force when states together accounting for 60% of trade (imports and exports combined) in jute and jute products have notified the United Nations Secretary-General of their provisional application or definitive acceptance of its provisions.
Should the requirements for entry into force not be met by 31 December 2001, states that have notified their acceptance or provisional application may decide to put its terms of reference into force among themselves.
The Study Group will remain in force for eight years and may be extended for up to two periods of two years.
Contact: Erica Meltzer, Press Officer, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/907 5828, fax +41-22/907 0043, e-mail <press@unctad.org>, website (www.unctad.org).
UNICEF REPORT ON CHILD MARRIAGE
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which said that half of all girls in some countries are married by the time they reach age 18, in March 2001 called for a global campaign to prevent the phenomenon of child marriage.
A UNICEF report, entitled Early Marriage: Child Spouses, discusses the reasons early marriage continues, and may even be on the rise among extremely poor populations.
“Forcing children, especially girls, into early marriages can be physically and emotionally harmful,” said Carol Bellamy, UNICEF Executive Director. “It violates their rights to personal freedom and growth. Yet until now there has been virtually no attempt to examine child marriage as a human rights violation in and of itself.”
By analyzing child marriage as a violation of a child's basic rights, the report seeks to build momentum for change. It is “another step in a growing movement to end the silent despair of millions of children, especially girls, who are being shuttered away in lives often full of misery and pain,” said Ms. Bellamy.
The report examines many of the implications of child marriage, from its restriction of personal freedom to its impact on health and education. For both boys and girls, early marriage has profound physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional consequences, cutting off educational opportunities and chances for personal growth. For girls, in addition, it will almost certainly mean premature pregnancy–which causes higher rates of maternal mortality–and is likely to lead to a lifetime of domestic and sexual subservience.
Teenage girls are also more susceptible than mature women to sexually-transmitted infections, says the report, including HIV/AIDS. Their vulnerability is dangerously increased because of the false belief in many places that if a man sleeps with a virgin, he'll be cured of HIV/AIDS.
Child marriages can be found across the globe, but are pervasive in parts of Africa and South Asia. The percentage of girls aged 15-19 in selected countries who are already married include Democratic Republic of Congo (74%), Niger (70%), Afghanistan (54%), Bangladesh (51%), Honduras (30%) and Iraq (28%). Poverty is one of the major factors underpinning child marriage.
To prevent child marriage a wide range of individuals and organizations–from community leaders to international bodies–must take action, says the report. A first step is to inform parents and young people about the negative implications of child marriage so they can choose to prevent it. Education is key in this process, according to UNICEF. Persuading parents to keep their daughters in school is critical for the overall development of girls–and in the postponement of marriage.
For girls who are already married, services must be developed to counsel them on issues ranging from abuse to reproduction.
Contact: Shima Islam or Mitchie Topper, UNICEF, 3 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/824 6949 or 303 7910, e-mail <sislam@unicef.org> or <mtopper@unicef.org>, website (www.unicef.org/hpphotocaption/7mar01-earlymarriage.htm).
UNDP GENDER MAINSTREAMING STUDY
The first attempt to systematically analyze success of the United Nations Development Fund's (UNDP) efforts to promote gender mainstreaming in sub-Saharan Africa focuses on gender-related activities of its Africa Bureau in two areas: poverty eradication and governance, and women-specific initiatives.
Assessment of Gender Mainstreaming in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of UNDP Supported Activities was based on a sample of 18 of 45 countries in the region and includes 74 UNDP-funded programmes and 115 projects. The study grades and ranks the initiatives according to a Gender Mainstreaming Index, ranging from zero to eight.
The index was developed to facilitate a quantitative evaluation and comparison. The assessment was initiated by UNDP in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Division for the Advancement of Women.
Of the 97 poverty eradication initiatives examined, the study reports that 43% included some gender analysis while only 33% employed a gender specialist. Overall, the study finds that “relatively little has been done to mainstream gender in poverty eradication initiatives in Africa.”
It recommends a renewed commitment to gender mainstreaming through, among other things:
-- a clearer targeting of the poor and women;
-- budgeting a larger proportion of funds directly for gender mainstreaming; and
-- supporting projects that directly transfer assets to women, educate women and improve their health.
In the area of governance, the study notes that women represent the highest proportion of the marginalized and neediest groups in Africa. Women are under-represented in the national decision-making bodies of all African countries, although ten of the 18 countries registered increases in the representation of women in national legislative bodies between 1994 and 2000.
Out of 59 governance initiatives examined, the study found only six based on gender analysis, indicating “a lack of focus on gender in the conceptualization of the programme or project.” Only 18 of the initiatives included gender specialists, and 85% “had little or no gender mainstreaming component.”
Women-specific initiatives can play an important complementary role in gender mainstreaming and represent those where systematic and concrete steps have been taken to include gender in the project design, says the study. Of the 18 countries under review, 15 had women-specific programmes and projects. However, the combined number of such programmes and projects totaled only 33. The study found that “where UNDP was a participant in these initiatives, it was also in the majority of cases the primary funder.”
It said UNDP “made considerable efforts to promote gender mainstreaming at the policy level. [Its] financial commitments include the goal that at least 20% of its global budget be allocated and disbursed to promote the advancement of women.” However, the study notes that to a large degree the process of gender mainstreaming is still in its early stages in many countries.
The results of the study will contribute to the development of policy guidance on how to redirect mainstream programming to incorporate gender equality as a development objective in the substantive areas of UNDP's work. These include policy formulation, planning, implementation, evaluation and decision-making processes at the country level.
The long-term objective of the study is to assist national governments and civil society in implementation of the recommendations contained in the Declaration and Platform for Action of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, with emphasis on supporting governments in mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes.
Gender mainstreaming, as defined by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. Gender mainstreaming aims to make women's as well as men's concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and social spheres so that women and men benefit equally.
Contact: Tsu-Wei Chang, Division for the Advancement of Women, DESA, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 8370, website (www.un.org/womenwatch) or Laufey Love, Development and Human Rights Section, Department of Public Information, United Nations, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 3507.
WORLD ASSEMBLY ON AGEING
At its 54th session the UN General Assembly decided to convene a Second World Assembly on Ageing next year. The event will be held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Vienna World Assembly on Ageing and will be devoted to reviewing the outcome of the first World Assembly. It will also aim to “adopt a revised plan of action and long-term strategy on ageing, encompassing its periodic reviews, in the context of a society for all ages.” The Second Assembly on Ageing will be held in Madrid (Spain) in April 2002.
Preparations for the World Assembly have been entrusted to the Commission for Social Development, which is acting as the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom). It held an organizational session from 26 February-2 March 2001 in New York.
While the PrepCom approved a decision to request the Secretary-General to submit a report on abuse against older persons, as a contribution to the elaboration of a revised action plan, the organizational session was suspended without resolving the matters before it. These included accreditation and participation of NGOs at the World Assembly and preparatory process, as well the rules of procedure and format for the event. It decided to resume the session on 30 April-1 May and again in November.
“We have failed,” said Committee Chairman Felipe Paolillo (Uruguay), who expressed frustration with what were described as meagre results. Mr. Paolillo said he hoped that an atmosphere more conducive to reaching agreement would prevail at the resumed session.
Growing concern over the intensifying speed and scale of global ageing was evident during the session's general discussion, as speakers drew attention to the demographic, social and economic changes that have occurred since adoption of the 1982 Action Plan. They also highlighted ways in which those changes had affected their countries. A combination of increased life expectancy and low fertility rates had added some 20 years to the average life span, bringing global life expectancy to 66 years.
According to documentation presented at the session, today one out of every ten persons is 60 years or older. By 2050, one out of five persons will be 60 years or older. Some 55% of older persons are women, and approximately 51% of older persons live in urban areas.
The rapid increase in the number of older people in the world represents a challenge to the institutional frameworks and capacity of many governments to sustain development and ensure the well-being of their population, noted many participants.
Contact: Alexandre Sidorenko, UN Programme on Ageing, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Room DC2-1358, 2 UN Plaza, New York NY 10017, United States, telephone +1-212/963 0500, fax +1-212/963 3062, website (www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing.htm).
COMMISSION ON MACROECONOMICS AND HEALTH
In January 2000 Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of the World Health Organization, launched a Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (CMH) aimed at clarifying the relation between health, economic development and poverty reduction.
The CMH, chaired by Jeffrey Sachs of Harvard University, comprises 18 representatives of governments, international economic agencies and universities. Among its members are former ministers of finance and representatives of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Economic Commission on Africa (ECA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The purpose of the CMH is to produce a series of studies on health care intervention to foster economic growth in developing countries. It will also produce and propose a set of health measures to help minimize poverty and maximize development in these countries.
The final CMH report will be released in December 2001 and be disseminated at the 2002 World Health Assembly. The report is expected to have a similar global impact as the 1989 Brundtland Report entitled Our Common Future, which established environmental degradation and sustainable development as some of the key concerns on the global agenda.
During the 1990s issues such as debt relief, international trade, accessibility of essential drugs to those most in need, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and growing health care costs have demonstrated that health plays a central role in the world economy, according to the CMH. And there is growing evidence that in the poorest nations, health care crises can create critical barriers to development, while improvements in the condition of a population's overall health contributes to higher economic growth and poverty alleviation.
The World Health Organization and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs organized a panel discussion about the Commission on 9 February 2001 at UN headquarters in New York. According to Mr. Sachs in his keynote address, it is critically important that the health crisis of the poorest nations be addressed, and that globalization is made to work for all. (The CMH final report will assess the health crisis in the poorest countries and analyze subsequent adverse economic development.)
He said that poor health is one of the fundamental reasons some poor regions are unable to escape poverty since a sick population is less productive than a healthy one. In the least developed countries, high infant/child mortality rates and corresponding high birth rates require great investments in the health and education sectors, said Mr. Sachs.
Disease tends to isolate countries and regions from global investments and trade. Foreign investments are low in the highest disease areas, and diseases such as HIV/AIDS are increasingly cutting off the most affected African countries from global trade. Mr. Sachs also emphasized that in order to achieve a truly globalized world, the disease burden must be brought down. To achieve this investments are required not only in health care, but in related fields such as education and empowerment of the girl-child.
Mr. Sachs identified debt reduction of the highly indebted poor countries as an important measure to address the global health crisis. However, he said, debt reduction alone is not sufficient. In order to achieve global goals the developed countries will also need to invest heavily in this area.
Information concerning the global health crisis will be presented in a CMH preliminary report, to be issued in July 2001.
Contact: Sergio Spinaci, Executive Secretary of the CMH, WHO, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, e-mail <spinacis@who.ch>, website (www.who.int).
Dyna Arhin-Tenkorang, Senior Economist and Assistant to the Chairman of the CMH, Center for International Development at Harvard University, Boston MA, United States, e-mail <dyna_arhin-tenkorang@harvard.edu>, website (www.cid.harvard.edu/cidcmh).
ICC PREPCOM HOLDS SEVENTH SESSION
The Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the International Criminal Court (ICC), which held its seventh session at UN headquarters in New York from 26 February-9 March 2001, continued its work on rules and political arrangements for effective operation of the future Court.
PrepCom Chair Philippe Kirsch (Canada) described the session as “exceptionally productive” after making substantial progress toward determining the shape and functioning of the Court. The representative from the Netherlands announced to the PrepCom that a