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In December and January, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan gave a number of speeches giving an overview of 2003, which he noted had been a “rather hard year,” and the work ahead for 2004. Through his speeches, he urged the world to focus on the fight against HIV/AIDS, calling the epidemic a “real weapon of mass destruction.” Extracts from his 18 December press conference at UN headquarters in New York, as well as his acceptance speech for the 2003 Deutscher Medienpreis (German Media Award) in Baden-Baden (Germany) on 21 January follow.

“To qualify for your award, one is supposed to have made ‘a major contribution to world peace, and achieved press coverage of unusual significance.’ In 2003, it was easier to do the latter than the former.

“Indeed, we at the United Nations found ourselves receiving more intense media attention than ever before. But alas, we cannot claim to have preserved world peace. We certainly tried, but peace is not in our gift. If only it were!

“I see three major tasks confronting us in the year ahead. The first is, precisely, to remind ourselves of the enormous needs that there are in the rest of the world, and of the fear, pain and misery that dominate so many people’s lives, far from the headlines and the TV cameras.

“In the daily lives of most people in the world today, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction are remote and hypothetical threats. The fears that stalk most people are those of poverty, starvation, unemployment, and deadly disease. When they are threatened with weapons, it is most often with those that we might call weapons of individual destruction—Kalashnikovs, machetes, landmines and the like—in societies where law and order have broken down.

“Little more than three years ago, at the Millennium Summit, all States agreed on the importance of dealing with those threats. They adopted the Millennium Declaration, which includes the eight Millennium Development Goals—precise pledges to achieve measurable results by 2015.

“Those pledges should be engraved on the heart, or at least the desk, of every political leader in every country. Indeed, they should be known throughout every society, so that in each country the people can monitor performance, and hold their leaders to account.

“Many poor countries cannot hope to reach the targets unless rich countries help them—with official aid, with investment, with advice, with debt relief, and perhaps above all with a reform of the international trading system, so that producers in poor countries no longer face barriers to their exports, or unfair competition from subsidized imports.

“Last year we let ourselves be distracted from these vital tasks. We were concerned—and rightly so—with issues of peace and security. But there will be no peace and no security, even for the most privileged amongst us, in a world that remains divided between extremes of wealth and poverty, health and disease, knowledge and ignorance, freedom and oppression. Surely we should have learnt that by now.

“We simply must make progress in bringing peace to the Middle East. The job in Afghanistan is only half done and will be no easier in the year ahead. Latin America needs more attention and more support. And in Africa, 2003 was an important year, but 2004 will be even more crucial.”

“So our first great task for 2004 is to re-focus the world’s attention on development. The second is to start re-building our system of collective security.

“The Charter of the United Nations is very clear. States have the right to defend themselves—and each other—if attacked. But the first purpose of the United Nations itself, laid down in Article 1, is ‘to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace.’

“We must show that the United Nations is capable of fulfilling that purpose, so that States do not feel obliged or entitled to take the law into their own hands.
“Finally, the third task I believe we should all focus on this year is that of rebuilding trust and confidence between people of different faiths and cultures.

“Many recent events—including notably the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the war in Iraq, and the continuing tragic conflict between Israelis and Palestinians—have pushed us dangerously close to the ‘clash of civilizations,’ which an American scholar predicted after the end of the cold war.

“We must resist this. We must deal with all our fellow human beings fairly and objectively, judging them by their own individual words and actions, and not on the basis of generalizations or preconceptions about the group to which we think they belong.

“Let all of us make it a priority, in 2004, to discover what we have in common with people of other faiths and cultures. Let us value, rather than despise or fear, what makes them different from us,” the Secretary-General urged.

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UN Budget 2004-2005

Two of the most notable features in the approved budget were the granting of only 62 new posts, whereas the Secretary-General had requested 117, and a freeze on hiring general services staff, meaning that posts would remain vacant once the current employees left their jobs. General service employees include secretaries, translators and security guards, although the latter are exempt from the freeze.

According to UN Programme Planning and Budget Director Warren Sach, the new budget includes strengthened efforts for human rights, crime prevention and criminal justice, and humanitarian, economic and social activities, with extra funds going to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

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UN’s Role in Post-War Iraq

On 3 February 2004, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and US President George W. Bush met in Washington DC to discuss Iraq’s political transition, and a possible role for the United Nations in overseeing the transfer of authority to the Iraqis. Mr. Annan voiced hope that the electoral team he is sending to Iraq would persuade the country’s people to decide on a process by which to choose their government and break the present impasse.

Under a 15 November agreement drawn up by the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi Governing Council, regional caucuses would take place in May that would elect a transitional council to assume control of Iraq on 1 July. The drafting of a constitution and elections under that constitution leading to a new government would be completed by the end of 2005. Currently, Iraq lacks an up-to-date census, voting rules and an election law. A major impediment to the proposed timetable is the opposition of a leading figure in the majority Shiite community who is demanding that direct elections be held before 1 July.

According to the Secretary-General, the UN team that will leave shortly for Iraq (as this Go Between goes to press) will determine whether elections are possible between now and the end of May, and will explore what options the Iraqis can agree on.

Mr. Annan recalled that during meetings in New York in January the CPA and the Iraqi Governing Council indicated that they would accept the conclusions of a UN team. “So we do have a chance to help break the impasse which exists at the moment and move forward,” he said.

Speaking on 4 February, Mr. Annan said that the United Nations was “not going to go back permanently just yet,” but it has always assumed it would have a role in working with a provisional Iraqi government on a constitution and on national elections, perhaps later next year. The question of security also remains an issue.

Mr. Annan recently appointed Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Special Representative for Afghanistan as a Senior Adviser to Iraq. Mr. Brahimi will deal with crises across the Middle East and Islamic world. In December, the Secretary-General named Ross Mountain—head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Crisis Task Team for Iraq—as his Acting Special Representative for Iraq.

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According to the FAO Commodities and Trade Division, over half of the world’s population depend on rice as their staple food. In Asia alone, over 2 billion people get nearly 70% of their calorific intake from rice and its products. However, FAO figures show that by 2030 total demand for rice will be 3% higher than the annual amounts produced between 1997 and 1999.
By the end of the 1990s, global rice production had reached 400 million tonnes in milled equivalent. Developing countries accounted for 95% of this total, and China and India alone for more than 50%. Global trade in rice grew at 7% a year throughout the 1990s, to reach 25 million tonnes. Developing countries accounted for most of this figure, with 83% of total exports and 85% of total imports.

FAO says that as rice has a key role in food security, it is subject to much government intervention aimed at supporting domestic rice producers. Countries tend to rely on self-sufficient processes rather than trade in rice to avoid the high volatility in world prices. Trade measures are also widely used to protect domestic rice markets. According to Concepción Calpe of FAO’s Commodities and Trade Division, countries should adopt trade policies that are less distorting, while taking into account non-economic factors such as the environment, food security and rural poverty. FAO suggests that trade barriers should be minimized and markets of countries with extremely high tariffs liberalized.

“Almost a billion households in Asia, Africa and the Americas depend on rice systems as their main source of employment and livelihood,” FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said. “About four-fifths of the world’s rice is produced by small-scale farmers and is consumed locally. Rice systems support a wide variety of plants and animals, which also help supplement rural diets and incomes. Rice is, therefore, on the frontline in the fight against world hunger and poverty.”

Mr. Diouf added that rice production and consumption is a pivot of many cultures around the world. Calling rice “a symbol of cultural identity and global unity,” he pointed out that it shapes religious observances, festivals, customs, cuisine and celebrations. FAO Assistant Director-General Michel Savini said rice provided 20% of the world’s dietary supply, as opposed to 19% for wheat and 5% for maize. However, he pointed out that as the world’s population continued to increase, rice production was competing for land and water with other uses, such as urban development.

Contact: Concepción Calpe, FAO Commodities and Trade Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, Rome 00100, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 4136, fax +39-06/5705 4495, e-mail <concepcion.calpe@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org/rice2004/index_en.htm).

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The report (S/2003/1217) examines the progress achieved in implementing the recommendations that Mr. Annan made in 2002 on how the Security Council can better address small arms problems in countries on the Council’s agenda. Sanctions, in particular arms embargoes against governments and insurgents, continue to be the most frequent measures imposed by the Council, the Secretary-General said, but the enforcement of embargoes “presents a mixed picture” because they “have proved to be extremely difficult to enforce.” The Security Council has imposed embargoes on Iraq, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

To improve the effectiveness of embargoes, Mr. Annan recommends the Council consider “coercive measures” against States that “deliberately violate” the sanctions and consider giving greater attention to blocking the flow of ammunition to areas of conflict. Other studies have shown that while weapons may still get to warring parties, when ammunition can be blocked, the conflicts slacken. “Progress…depends almost entirely on the political will and technical capacity [of States],” he wrote.

There has also been progress in establishing an international regime for marking and tracing small arms. An expert panel reported last year that an international treaty on tracing arms was feasible, and in December the General Assembly established a working group to negotiate such a treaty. While a treaty on tracing will have no effect on weapons already in the field, it should help make future weapons flows easier to follow, thus making it easier to hold responsible those who violate embargoes and other controls.

The report recommended that the Council should pay greater attention to links between the illicit arms trade and other criminal activities such as drug trafficking and exploitation of natural resources.

The report is available online (www.un.org/Docs/sc).

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“Human rights defenders stand in the front lines of protection, casting the bright light of human rights into the darkest corners of tyranny and abuse. They work to safeguard the rule of law, to reduce violence, poverty and discrimination, and to build structures for freer, more equitable and more democratic societies. It is to them that many victims of human rights violations turn in their hour of need,” the Secretary-General’s message said.

Also on 10 December, the United Nations awarded its 2003 Human Rights Prize to five recipients. The winners included Barnes de Carlotto, an Argentine advocate for children who disappeared following the country’s 1976 military coup; the Family Protection Project Management Team, a Jordanian group that has worked to lift taboos in the country; Shulamith Koenig, an American global rights activist; the Mano River Women’s Peace Network, a West African women’s peace-building network; and Deng Pufang, a Chinese disability defender. A special posthumous award was given to Sergio Vieira de Mello, the late United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The United Nations Human Rights prize is awarded every five years for outstanding promotion and protection of civil liberties and fundamental freedoms.

The year 2003 also saw the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Acting High Commissioner Bertrand Ramcharan, in his Human Rights Day message, outlined a number of abuses that led to human rights violations and pleaded for stronger human rights protection. Below are extracts from his speech.

“We must all be deeply distressed and anguished on this Human Rights Day that, ten years after the solemn commitments of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights (1993), human rights are grossly violated throughout the world because of poverty, conflicts, terrorism, violence, prejudice and bad governance.
“Notwithstanding the lofty commitments in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and the more recent commitment to human rights values in the Millennium Declaration (2000), the universality of human rights remains formal rather than real in the contemporary world. Inequalities and injustices against women and children are commonplace, and racism and racial discrimination have far from receded.

“Poverty has not declined. On the contrary, for nearly a billion people the economic, social and cultural rights of the Universal Declaration, whose fifty-fifth anniversary we commemorate this year, will remain illusory. They will hardly be able to survive and many will not live to the age of fifty-five. Democracy, the rule of law, and respect for civil and political rights are distant from the wretched poor of the earth. The struggle against poverty must remain at the forefront of the human rights movement.

“Violence, deliberately perpetrated by authorities on their subjects, afflicts millions of the world’s people. Torture, arbitrary and summary executions, enforced and involuntary disappearances, arbitrary detention, and the ill-treatment of minorities, indigenous populations and migrants are widespread. Thousands of young women are trafficked into prostitution and slavery. The sexual exploitation of children is a blight on our civilization. We continue to experience a crisis of values among humankind.

“On this Human Rights Day, my heart goes out to the victims of human rights violations the world over. I plead for the cessation of these pervasive violations of human rights. I plead for the world of the Universal Declaration to become reality for all the world’s peoples on the ground. I plead for democracy, for the rule of law, and for justice.”

Contact: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 9000, website (www.unhchr.ch).

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The demolitions have hit both refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and non-refugee Palestinians. UNRWA relief teams, in conjunction with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other organizations, are providing assistance with shelter, blankets, food and water to all of the homeless.

UNRWA has issued an appeal to the international donor community for funds to allow it to build new shelters for homeless refugees in Gaza. Before the latest round of demolitions, UNRWA estimated that it would cost US$30 million to rehouse all the refugees who have lost their homes. UNRWA has built 228 replacement shelters in Gaza and has a further 300 under construction.

Contact: UNRWA Liaison Office New York, Maher Nasser, Chief, One United Nations Plaza, Room DC1-1265, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 2255, fax +1-212/935 7899, website (www.un.org/unrwa).

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In a joint declaration adopted on 18 December, Ambeyi Ligabo, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights; Freimut Duve, the Representative on Freedom of the Media of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); and Eduardo Bertoni, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States (OAS) speak out against “attempts by some governments to limit freedom of expression and to control the media and/or journalists through regulatory mechanisms which lack independence or otherwise pose a threat to freedom of expression.”

Their declaration covers a range of issues on the regulation of the media, restrictions on journalists, and investigating corruption. It states that there should not be any legal restriction on who may practise journalism; accreditation schemes for journalists are appropriate only where necessary to provide them with privileged access to certain places and/or events; and media workers who investigate corruption or wrongdoing should not be targeted for legal or other harassment in retaliation for their work. Media owners are encouraged to provide appropriate support to journalists engaged in investigative journalism.

Contact: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917 9000, fax +41-22/917 9011, e-mail <InfoDesk@ohchr.org>, website (www.unhchr.ch).

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The survey brings together evidence indicating a long-term positive correlation between growth and poverty reduction, yet points out that some mixes of economic policies are better than others in attacking poverty, even given the same resulting rates of growth. The survey notes that “macro-economic policies should be infused with an awareness of the likely effects on poverty and, where necessary, complementary policies should be pursued to ensure that they result in even greater gains in terms of poverty reduction.”

“We are learning more about which policies in the economic and social spheres serve to alleviate the harsh effects of poverty and to reduce its extent,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General José Antonio Ocampo. “But the current era of low economic growth and difficulties in maintaining an open trade regime pose a threat to universally agreed goals on reducing world poverty.” While noting that “Social policy can achieve social objectives, but cannot always make progress toward economic targets such as income poverty,” he added that “very good economic policies are needed if we are to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme poverty in half by 2015.”

In terms of trade policy, the survey finds that the main threat to the poor stems from protectionism in rich country markets, especially targeting agricultural goods and textiles from the South. The survey recommends greater openness between the developing countries themselves, with South-South trade accounting for roughly 40% of all developing country trade.

The experience of recent years has demonstrated that large excesses of government spending over revenues or unrestrained monetary expansion are likely to result in an economic setback that not only eliminates previous gains, but often results in undue hardship for the poor. The survey therefore recommends counter-cyclical fiscal and monetary policies, including a fiscal policy that allocates funds to social services and development.

However, in Latin America, where there have been recurring crises since the early 1990s, social expenditure has tended to mirror the growth of the economy, with governments increasing it during upturns but being required to cut it when economies cool off or plunge due to financial shocks. This “pro-cyclical” outcome means that governments have found it difficult to take special measures to protect the poor during the part of the economic cycle when they are most vulnerable, or to reverse downturns through stimulative spending.

On agricultural reform, the survey highlights land redistribution and agricultural market liberalization, given their potential for reducing poverty in rural areas, home to 75% of those living in absolute poverty. Small landholdings or lack of legally recognized ownership rights or access to land are major impediments to economic advancement in rural areas.

Part One of the World Economic and Social Survey 2003 was issued in June 2003 (see Go Between 98). Part Two, on Economic Policy and Poverty, completes the 2003 survey.

Contact: Development Policy Analysis Division, DESA, Room DC2-2170, United Nations, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 4838, fax +1-212/963 1061,
website (www.un.org/esa/analysis/ ddpa.htm).

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“What’s good social policy is also good economic policy. Eliminating child labour will yield an enormous return on investment—and a priceless impact on the lives of children and families,” says ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.

Investing in Every Child, An Economic Study of the Costs and Benefits of Eliminating Child Labour compares costs and benefits, not with a view to justifying action to eliminate child labour, which is already called for by the ILO in its Conventions Nos. 138 and 182, but with the aim of understanding the economic implications of these international commitments.

The ILO/IPEC study applies a model to developing and transitional economies worldwide and says that globally, the economic benefits of the fight against child labour exceed costs by a ratio of 6.7 to 1. All regions of the world would experience large net gains from the elimination of child labour, although some would benefit more than others. In North Africa and the Middle East, for example, the benefits would be the highest relative to the costs (8.4 to 1), whereas in sub-Saharan Africa they would be the lowest (5.2 to 1). In Asia, the ratio would be 7.2 to 1, in transitional countries 5.9 to 1, while in Latin America it would be 5.3 to 1. The global net economic benefits of the hypothetical programme would amount to 22.2% of aggregate annual gross national income.

Eliminating child labour would be a “generational investment” and a sustained commitment to children, both today and tomorrow. The study indicates that in the first years, the costs would almost certainly exceed returns, however, net economic flows would turn positive as the effects of improved education and health take hold. By 2020, costs would be far outweighed by the returns, leaving annual benefits of around US$60 billion.

In comparison to other social costs, the average annual cost of eliminating child labour would be far less than the cost of financing debt service or the military, the study says. For example, the average annual cost of US$95 billion would amount to about 20% of current military spending in developing and transitional countries, or 9.5% of developing countries' US$1 trillion debt service. The study argues that the costs are a “wise investment” as each extra year of schooling stemming from universal education to the age of 14 results in an additional 11% of future earnings per year, yielding global benefits of just over US$5 trillion. On the cost side, the supply of education accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total costs.

Reaping the economic value of expanded education depends on countries’ ability to create new jobs, take advantage of higher levels of human capital and develop economic policies to stimulate growth, the study points out. Yet even if the effect of education on future earnings was halved to 5%, the study estimates that global benefits would still exceed US$2 trillion.

Contact: International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, 4 route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/799 8181, fax +41-22/799 8771, e-mail <ipec@ilo.org>, website (www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/index.htm).

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ILO’s Global Employment Trends 2004 finds that the economic recovery that took hold in the second half of 2003 appeared to be slowing the deterioration of the global employment situation and, if sustained, could continue to do so through 2004.

“It’s too early to say the worst is over,” ILO Director-General Juan Somavia said. “However, if current estimates of global growth and domestic demand hold steady or improve over the coming year, the global employment picture may brighten somewhat in 2004.”

“Our greatest concern is that if the recovery falters and our hopes for more and better jobs are further delayed, many countries will fail to cut poverty by half as targeted by the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for 2015,” Mr. Somavia said. “But we can reverse this trend and reduce poverty if policy makers stop treating employment as an afterthought and place decent work at the heart of macro-economic and social policies.” The report traces the various factors contributing to the global employment decline—such as the increase in employment in the informal economy, the decrease in employment in information and communication technology, as well as extensive job losses in the export and labour-intensive manufacturing sectors.

Rising unemployment and underemployment during the first half of 2003 was due to a slow upturn in the industrialized world’s economic situation, the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on employment in Asia and the effects of armed conflicts, the latter largely on travel and tourism employment, the report finds. With the curtailment of SARS and solid gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the second half of 2003, employment growth picked up somewhat.

“Predicted growth rates in Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa and the transition economies (over 4%), in all sub-regions in Asia (7.1% in East Asia, 4.5% in South-East Asia and 5.8% in South Asia) and in sub-Saharan Africa (just below 5%) should be high enough to enable these regions to create new employment possibilities,” the report says.

The industrialized regions saw a recovery from the economic slowdown over the past two years, especially in the second half of 2003. Despite a pick up in GDP growth in the United States, job creation remained sluggish, with unemployment rates at around 6%. The European Union, however, witnessed positive developments in the labour markets in some countries, despite a low GDP growth rate of 1.5%. Japan seems to have picked up from its long-lasting crisis, but may take some time to reach the low unemployment levels of the early 1990s of below 3%, the report says.

To meet the MDG of reducing poverty by half, Global Employment Trends 2004 is urging policy makers to adopt “pro-poor” policies that create employment opportunities to help women and men secure productive and remunerative work in conditions of freedom, security and human dignity; reduce youth unemployment rates; and increase international assistance aimed at improving access to developed-country markets and reducing external debts and debt servicing, thus freeing resources for reform programmes targeted on improved governance, job creation and poverty reduction.

Contact: Employment Strategy Department, ILO, 4 route des Morillons, 1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/799 6434, fax +41-22/799 7678, e-mail <EMPSTRAT@ilo.org>,
website (www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/global.htm).

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US seeks changes to WHO Obesity Strategy

In May 2002, the WHO’s governing body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), voted to develop a strategy for combating obesity along with other chronic health problems influenced by lifestyle, such as heart disease. WHO issued a scientific report in June 2002 that provided the basis for the 18-page strategic plan, which will come before the WHA for final approval in May 2004, pending the Executive Board’s endorsement in January 2004.

Opening the WHO’s 113th Executive Board in Geneva on 19 January, WHO Director-General Jong-wook Lee said that the questions of diet and physical activity “have been of concern to some in the food industry and in agriculture.” Speaking of the WHO strategy on diet he said, “Unlike tobacco, food is a fundamental requirement for health. The aim is to have in place a Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, which sets out policy options for governments to support good food and healthier living. As a public health community, we have for too long neglected preventive measures for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer and other chronic diseases. It is time to act decisively, and in a spirit of positive interaction, with all the parties concerned. These include the food industry, as well as consumer groups and the health services.”

On 20 January the United States demanded significant changes to the global strategy to tackle obesity, saying the plan is based on faulty scientific evidence and exceeds the agency’s purview. US and international health experts criticized the Bush administration’s move, saying that US objections are an attempt to placate the food and sugar industries. The Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) and the Sugar Association have acknowledged that they oppose parts of the plan, but deny influencing the US position. The WHO plan outlines strategies that nations can use to fight obesity, such as restricting advertising aimed at children and increasing junk food prices through taxes and adjustments in farm subsidies.

William R. Steiger, special assistant for international affairs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, said that the United States does not consider some of the approaches taken by the WHO “to be based on the best practices and the best science.” Rather, the US wanted a strategy that was “the product of the best possible scientific evidence,” and which would also place much greater emphasis on the role of “personal responsibility” instead of government regulation.

On 22 January, the WHO Executive Board agreed to forward the global strategy to its WHA. The United States supported a one-month extension during which WHO Member States can consider the draft strategy and suggest revisions to the document. At the end of the consultation period, comments will be consolidated by the WHO, and the final draft strategy will be made publicly available to WHO Member States in mid-March 2004.

Contact: Melinda Henry, Information Officer, World Health Organization, 20, avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/791 2535, fax +41-22/791 4858,
e-mail <henrym@who.int>, website (www.comminit.com/st2002/sld-6526.html).

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The question of therapeutic cloning—cloning embryos for scientific and medical research including stem cell research—has been the focus of the debate. There is unanimity that reproductive cloning—the cloning of a human to produce another human—should be unequivocally prohibited. One side, led by the United States and Costa Rica, wants a total ban on human cloning, while the other side, led by France and Germany, would permit therapeutic cloning.

The Legal Committee, in a divided vote on 6 November [80-79, with 15 abstentions], had decided not to consider either of the two draft resolutions reflecting the competing positions, and instead approved a motion to postpone the debate for one year and resume consideration in 2005.

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“The International Year of Microcredit 2005 underscores the importance of microfinance as an integral part of our collective effort to meet the Millennium Development Goals,” said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. “Sustainable access to microfinance helps alleviate poverty by generating income, creating jobs, allowing children to go to school, enabling families to obtain health care, and empowering people to make the choices that best serve their needs. The stark reality is that most poor people in the world still lack access to sustainable financial services, whether it is savings, credit or insurance. The great challenge before us is to address the constraints that exclude people from full participation in the financial sector. The International Year of Microcredit offers a pivotal opportunity for the international community to engage in a shared commitment to meet this challenge. Together, we can and must build inclusive financial sectors that help people improve their lives.”

The resolution designates the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) as focal points to coordinate the activities of the UN system during preparations for and observance of the International Year.

According to UNCDF, microcredit and microfinance programmes can go beyond the individual household level to help strengthen the fabric of local economies, stimulating consumer activity and creating new jobs.
The Programme of Action takes into account the conclusions and recommendations from recent major United Nations conferences and summits related to the financial sector and development. Activities for the Year will be undertaken at the national, regional and international levels.

Contact: Emily Krasnor, Year of Microcredit 2005, UNCDF, Two UN Plaza, 26th Floor, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/906 6308, fax +1-212/906 6479, e-mail <emily.krasnor@undp.org>, website (www.uncdf.org/english/microfinance).

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Convention Against Corruption

Thirty ratifications are needed for the Convention to enter into force, and ratification depends on countries developing legislative and administrative measures in accord with the provisions of the Convention. Once the Convention enters into force, a Conference of the States Parties will be established to monitor compliance.

The provisions of the Convention require countries to make criminal a range of corrupt activities, take action to promote integrity and to prevent corruption; and to cooperate with other States Parties. It also establishes, for the first time, legal mechanisms for the return of looted assets that have been transferred to other countries.

At a press conference held by experts and corruption fighters attending the Merida conference, participants attempted to establish a benchmark figure for the dollar value of worldwide corruption. By very rough but conservative estimates, income derived from illicit transactions is 5% of the volume of total global output, World Bank Director for Global Governance Daniel Kaufmann said. Bribes and graft make up at least half of that amount, he said. Given a gross world product of US$33 trillion, a low figure for the dollar amount paid out each year in corrupt transactions would be nearly one trillion dollars.

Contact: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Vienna International Centre, PO Box 500, A-1400 Vienna, Austria, telephone +43 1 26060 0, fax +43 1 26060 5866, e-mail <unodc@unodc.org> , website (www.unodc.org/unodc/en/crime_convention_corruption.html).

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CSD-12: Organization of Work

According to organizers, the first three days of CSD-12 will serve as a preparatory meeting for the ten-year review of the Barbados Plan of Action for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS +10, see Go Between 99) that will take place in Mauritius later in 2004.

The following two weeks will serve as the CSD-12 review session. As agreed at CSD-11, the review session will undertake an evaluation of progress in implementing Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI, see NGLS Roundup 96), while focusing on identifying constraints, obstacles, successes and lessons learned with regard to the thematic cluster of issues for the session: water, sanitation and human settlements. The high-level segment will be held from 28-30 April.

The review session will be held in a variety of formats including panel discussions; interactive debates; and regional sessions, with one for each of the UN regions. A wide range of experts from governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) and the Major Groups is expected to attend the review session to ensure that the debate is informed by a rich mixture of experience and knowledge.

The principal inputs for the review session will be a series of reports from the Secretary-General, reports from the regional implementation meetings taking place in the months leading up to CSD-12 (see Go Between 100), the results of other meetings organized in support of the work of the CSD, discussion papers and inputs from Major Groups, and other documents, such as more comprehensive regional analyses.

The main written outputs from the CSD-12 review session will be a report—including the chairman’s summary—that is aimed at identifying constraints, obstacles and possible approaches for implementation; the inputs from Major Groups; records of the regional discussions; and activities held as part of the Partnerships Fair and Learning Centre—parallel events organized by the CSD Secretariat.

The Partnerships Fair will provide a venue for showcasing progress made in existing partnerships for sustainable development, launching new partnerships and networking among existing and potential partners. CSD-12 will also continue the tradition of side events to allow stakeholders from governments, IGOs and Major Groups to present their initiatives, hold debates, and/or facilitate discussions on any theme related to sustainable development.

Contact: Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Two United Nations Plaza, Room DC2-2220, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 2803, fax +1-212/963 4260, e-mail <dsd@un.org>,
website (www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd12/message_from_director).

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FAO Reports on SIDS

The ten-year review of the Barbados Plan of Action for SIDS will take place in Mauritius from 30 August - 3 September 2004 (see Go Between 99). According to FAO, most SIDS rely heavily on agriculture, forestry and fisheries exports, which leaves them vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity prices and trade regulations. Many are increasingly dependent on food imports, and the rates of nutrition-related health problems are on the rise. Climate change, including a rising sea level, and vulnerability to natural disasters such as hurricanes are of particular concern, according to the report.
Experts from FAO’s Sustainable Development Department say that FAO is working with SIDS to help make their agricultural use of land and water more efficient, and to address the constraints of land fragmentation, the impact of tourism and urbanization on agriculture, and water over-extraction and salt water intrusion, as well as the negative effects of imported convenience foods on health and agriculture.

In 2002, FAO launched an initiative to help SIDS review and update their national policies and strategies for food security and agricultural development, and is currently working on improving capabilities of national Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems (FIVIMS). “Both initiatives are aimed at addressing the relative poverty and food insecurity in SIDS,” FAO expert Nadia Scialabba said.

The FAO report suggests that there are “synergic linkages” between tourism, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and invites the international community “to better respond to the increased vulnerability of SIDS” by enhancing traditional production systems and fostering existing initiatives to diversify SIDS production for local consumption and export of organic commodities. “SIDS’ tourism sector, which presently imports 50-95% of foods and beverages, offers potential outlets for such quality products.”

Contact: Pierre Antonios, Information Officer, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 5373, e-mail <pierre.antonios@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org).

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COP-9 Convention on Climate Change Meets

The conference, which brought together over 5,000 participants, including 95 ministers, sought to further action by national governments, civil society and the private sector and to prepare for the Kyoto Protocol’s entry into force. Three informal ministerial roundtables focusing on adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable development; technology, including development and transfer of technologies; and assessment of progress at the national, regional and international levels were also held. COP-9 concluded on 12 December after having adopted over twenty legal decisions.

“The fact that 2003 is on track to be one of the warmest years on record should be a warning that we must all take seriously. We can see growing evidence that many governments have been inspired by the Climate Change Convention and its Kyoto Protocol to strengthen action at the national level, but more needs to be done to stop the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations,” said Joke Waller-Hunter, the Convention’s Executive Secretary.

At COP-9, States Parties adopted decisions and conclusions on various issues, including: afforestation and reforestation projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM, which promotes sustainable development in developing countries by channelling private sector investment into emission reduction projects while offering industrialized countries credits against their Kyoto Protocol targets); good practice guidance on land use, land-use change and forestry; the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF); and the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Fund.

The Protocol now allows genetically modified trees in forests to help offset global warming, and will allow rich nations to store up to 1% of their annual emissions in trees, which absorb carbon dioxide as they grow.

Participants emphasized that the Kyoto Protocol, adopted six years ago on 11 December, represents a significant first step towards realizing the Convention’s goal of stabilizing atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases at safe levels. A number of countries said every effort should be made to implement its provisions even though it is not yet legally in force.

Many States Parties said that they were already using energy-efficient technologies and increasing their use of renewable sources of energy. Participants highlighted good governance and infrastructure as well as opportunities for private-sector investment as contributing to technology use, development and transfer. However, some countries said that technology transfer, development and cooperation should not be left only to the private sector. Business and industry NGOs urged governments to provide enabling frameworks, and said that non-commercial investments are needed for long-term commitment.

The European Union, Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland renewed an earlier pledge to contribute US$410 million annually to developing countries. The EU will provide US$369 million, and Canada, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland will contribute the remaining money.

A number of statements were made by NGOs during COP-9. The Research and Independent NGOs (RINGOs) constituency, first created in COP-8 and which was given official recognition during COP-9, called for global collaboration, political will, creative thinking, and avoidance of political rhetoric in the climate process.

During COP-9, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Venezuela said they would soon ratify the Protocol, which has already been ratified by 120 States Parties. Its entry into force hinges on ratification by the Russian Federation.

COP-10 will be held from 29 November-10 December 2004, in Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Contact: UNFCCC Secretariat, Haus Carstanjen, Martin-Luther-King-Strasse 8, D-53175 Bonn, Germany, telephone +49-228/815 1000, fax +49-228/815 1999, e-mail <secretariat@unfccc.int>, website (www.unfccc.int).

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Pan-African Conference on Water

In opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and co-chair of the conference, K.Y. Amoako, reminded participants that access to water—a basic human need—still eludes a large proportion of Africans. “Poor management of this precious gift of nature continues to hinder our progress and is a major constraining factor in food production, health and industrial development,” he said. “The average annual investment between 1990-2000 for water supply and sanitation in Africa was only US$4.6 billion, or 40% of the requirement for meeting basic needs.”

Delegates met in an open plenary, followed by thematic sessions to discuss water, including sanitation and human settlements; water and food security; financing water infrastructure; integrated water resources management (IWRM); water allocation; and water governance, among others. Multi-stakeholder sessions were then held to discuss achieving the MDGs and targets agreed upon at the WSSD; the Africa-European Union (EU) Water Partnership; the Third World Water Forum (see NGLS Roundup 101); and water and gender issues.

A high-level ministerial segment, convened near the end of the conference, allowed African ministers and policy makers to dialogue with development partners and consider outcomes from the earlier sessions. Ministerial commitments focused on achievements regarding the implementation and funding requirements for regional initiatives and international targets for Africa’s water sector. Delegates also formulated follow-up activities for 2004, including: establishing national task forces on water and sanitation; conducting negotiations with development cooperation partners and UN agencies; and using the Conference’s recommendations as a basis for developing a common African approach before and after the 12th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-12, see article page 10) taking place from 14-30 April 2004 in New York.

The ministerial session’s recommendations for the CSD-12 included, among others:
n Increasing budget allocations to water, sanitation and human settlements for the poor;
n Empowering local governments and enhancing their capacity;
n Mainstreaming gender and youth in the provision of water, sanitation and human settlements;
n Enforcing corporate responsibility for environmental protection;
n Calling on the international community to fully implement debt swaps to support water, sanitation and housing projects; and
n Mainstreaming disaster management into water, sanitation and human settlements management.

Ministers also outlined links between water, sanitation and human settlements, including: rapid urbanization, and the prevalence of slums; associated infrastructure development; decentralization in basic services provision; capacity building to support decentralization; and the need for integrated country teams involving key ministries such as finance and economic planning, housing, local government and water. A summary of the proceedings is available online, see Earth Negotiations Bulletin, Volume 05, No. 200 (www.iisd.ca/csd/rim/eca).

Contact: Yinka Adeyemi, Economic Commission for Africa, Communication Team, PO Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, telephone +251-1/51 58 26, fax +251-1/51 03 65, e-mail <yadeyemi@uneca.org>, website (www.uneca.org/panafcon).

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UNDP Study Explores African Development

As part of the study’s effort to facilitate policy dialogue on the continent’s long-term development prospects, contributors first charted the existing status quo in Africa at the dawn of the twenty-first century. This initial “status report,” which provides a common baseline from which the study departs, explores a number of critical economic and social trends that are emerging to define the continent’s future development prospects, including Africa’s changing demographics, the structure of its economies, and the quality of its governance institutions.

Three trends were identified as key factors shaping the continent’s future developmental trajectory: Africa’s population boom and rapidly growing under thirty population; its rapid pace of urbanization and growing informal economy; and its chronic indebtedness and structural marginalization in international trade and investment flows.

Departing from these trends and developmental constraints, the study attempts to project four potential development scenarios for the continent over the next twenty-five years. The scenarios attempt to capture the entire range of development possibilities ranging from stagnation to rapid modernization and are described by report coordinator Alioune Sall in the following metaphorical terms: 1) The lions are trapped; 2) The lions are hungry; 3) The lions come out of their den; and 4) The lions mark their territory.

The first two scenarios explore potential negative development outlooks ranging from continued marginalization and static equilibrium to a “doomsday” development scenario caused by external shocks from the system with the potential to spread violence and chaos throughout the region. The latter two scenarios represent optimistic development scenarios for the continent in which a new generation of political leadership and entrepreneurs emerge to drive economic growth and sustainable development. To realize this development potential, the study highlights the importance of more activist African governments capable of nurturing their fledgling industries, developing their infrastructure and providing citizens with universal education and health services.

President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki said in the study’s foreward, “The truth is that the social, economic and political forces that are portrayed in these scenarios are already present today in sub-Saharan Africa—how they manifest themselves in various countries differs widely depending on their histories…Africa does not have a divine right to succeed in her endeavours…nor is there a supernatural force that can will us to fail. How events unfold over the next 20 years or so depends in large measure on what we as Africans do.”

Contact: African Futures, 01 BP 1747 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire, telephone +225-20/22 2669, fax +225-20/22 2664, e-mail <ifutures@afr-futures.ci>, website (www.africanfutures.net/af/
af2025.htm).

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WB-HIV/AIDS in Middle East & North Africa

The report calls for the creation of more proactive surveillance systems in the region and prescribes a multi-sectoral approach to combating the disease, including the creation of government-civil society partnerships to effectively monitor and prevent the spread of the virus in the region.

Contact: Sereen Juma, the World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433, USA,
telephone +1-202/473 7199, e-mail <sjuma@worldbank.org>, website (www.worldbank.org).

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Number of UNFPA Donors Increasing

“This number of supporters has surpassed our expectations,” said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, UNFPA Executive Director. “This is strong evidence that countries, from every region of the world, have confidence in the Fund and that there is strong political will in support of our activities.” Ms. Obaid said that the funds would allow the organization to meet more of the demands for reproductive health care in the 150 countries where UNFPA works.

The top six donors in 2003 were the Netherlands, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Sweden. New donors in 2003 included Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Somalia, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste and Uzbekistan. According to the Fund, regular resources for UNFPA in 2003 were approximately US$294 million.

In July 2002 the United States rescinded its US$34 million donation to the organization amid allegations that UNFPA was funding forced abortions in China and has not rejoined (see Go Between 92). On 23 January 2004, the US Senate passed a foreign operations spendings bill for 2004 that includes US$34 million for UNFPA. Ms. Obaid appealed to the US administration “to allow the funds appropriated by Congress to be released.”

Contact: Kristin Hetle, Chief, Media Services Branch, UNFPA, 220 East 42nd Street, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/297 5020, fax +1-212/557 6416, e-mail <hetle@unfpa.org>, website (www.unfpa.org).

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WFP Reduces Food Aid

A lack of rain has delayed the planting of crops in Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland and is expected to reduce the yields of crops already planted. WFP expects to feed some 245,000 people in Swaziland in January 2004, roughly a quarter of the country’s population.

WFP cut the daily ration of cornmeal in Zimbabwe from 12 ounces to six ounces because of declining stock levels and insufficient replenishment funding, and cooking oil, beans and peas may run out in January. WFP has received US$161 million of the US$311 million needed, with about half of the donations coming from the United States.

Low rainfall and a diminished workforce caused by the AIDS crisis have weakened agricultural output in Zimbabwe. Some 23% of farm labourers are estimated to have either already died or are too sick to work. As a result, cropped areas have declined by 39%, while yields have declined by 59% and produce reaching the market has dropped by 66%.

“Unfortunately, January, February and March are the key hungry months before the harvest,” said Richard Lee, WFP’s information officer in Johannesburg. “Zimbabwe’s situation is by far the worst.”

North Korea faces similar problems as WFP’s fundraising efforts have produced only 60% of the money needed to feed 6.5 million North Koreans. Donations by both the United States and Japan are down significantly. WFP says the North Korean Government’s reluctance to allow foreigners to monitor food distribution and the competing appeal for Afghanistan have also hurt the campaign.

“In January, we’ll probably stop feeding about three million people,” said WFP Executive Director James Morris. However, he said WFP could resume normal distribution with the help of promised aid from Russia, but that food would only last a few weeks. Russia became a WFP donor for the first time in 2003 with a contribution of US$11 million, which was used to purchase grain for North Korea and Angola.

Mr. Morris also announced that WFP would close its last programme in China in 2005 after more than 20 years of aid worth US$1 billion. “China simply doesn’t need aid today as it did 25 years ago, and that’s something to celebrate,” Mr. Morris said. “As China becomes a more prosperous economy, we want China to become one of our major financial partners,” he added.

During 2003, WFP provided food to 110 million people worldwide, a record in the agency’s 40-year history. “We are proud of our achievement in feeding so many of those in need, but we are acutely aware that they represent only a limited proportion of the world’s hungry, many of them suffering in silence,” Mr. Morris said.

Contact: Caroline Hurford, Public Affairs Officer, WFP, Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, I-00148 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/6513 2330, fax + 39-06/6513 2840, e-mail <caroline.hurford@wfp.org>, website (www.wfp.org).

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WFP Launches 19-Cents-A-Day Campaign

During his speech, Mr. McGovern noted that school feeding not only helped to improve children’s lives, but was also an essential tool for bettering the world in the wake of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. “I think we’re going to discover that school feeding is going to reduce hunger and ignorance and terror. I do think that it’s not only possible but it’s a practical goal for countries of the world to set out to terminate hunger and school feeding is the greatest way to do that. I hope I live long enough to see a good nutritious lunch for each school kid in the world. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”

“Over the holiday season we are hoping that people take time to reflect on the challenges faced by the severely poor,” WFP Executive Director James Morris said. “For only 19 cents a day, we can vastly improve the lives of children all over the world.” With US$34, the agency can feed a student for a whole school year.

WFP says that free school lunches not only help to feed some of the world’s poorest students, but they also encourage children to attend class and concentrate on their studies. WFP programmes have a special focus on girls’ education. Surveys indicate that girls who go to school have 50% fewer children and these tend to be healthier, and better cared for and more likely to attend school themselves.

Donations to the WFP school feeding project and other WFP projects can be made online (www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=4).

Contact: Caroline Hurford, Public Affairs Officer, WFP, Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, I-00148 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/6513 2330, fax + 39-06/6513 2840, e-mail <caroline.hurford@wfp.org>, website (www.wfp.org).

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FAO: Tobacco in Developing Countries

Projections of Tobacco Production, Consumption and Trade to the Year 2010 predicts that even though per-person consumption rates are falling across the globe—including in developing countries—the population and income growth expected in developing nations will counteract that effect. By 2010, the study says, tobacco users in the developing world will consume five million metric tons, or 71%, of the world’s tobacco. China alone will likely account for about 37% of the world’s tobacco users, with India the second-largest consumer at 25% or more. FAO forecasts a shift in production to developing countries, since maintaining profitability in developed countries is getting tougher and production costs are lower in developing countries. Already China produces 35% of the global tobacco crop, followed by India, Brazil, the United States, the European Union, Zimbabwe and Turkey.

As the higher demand for tobacco in the developing countries drives the world tobacco economy, the report suggest that public policy to reduce tobacco use should focus on demand rather than supply. “Reducing demand in the developing countries would be rather difficult given projected population and income growth trends. Mitigating these trends, however, and reducing consumption per adult using a combination of tax and direct restriction policies, would also be an important achievement. Reducing demand will in turn imply a decline in global tobacco production.” FAO estimates that by applying an aggressive anti-smoking and anti-tobacco policy, tobacco consumption per person could drop by as much as 20%. The report is available online (www.fao.org/DOCREP/006/Y4956E/Y4956E00.HTM).

Contact: Erwin Northoff, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5705 3105, e-mail <Erwin.Northoff@fao.org>, website (www.fao.org).

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UNESCAP Guidebook on Human Trafficking

“Trafficking is a fast-growing problem and very transboundary in nature and this affects many countries in the Asian region where there is no comprehensive legal framework,” said UN spokeswoman Thelma Kay in Bangkok (Thailand).

The book, entitled Combating Human Trafficking in Asia: A Resource Guide to International and Regional Legal Instruments, Political Commitments and Recommendations, is the first comprehensive set of guidelines on the practice and aims to improve coordination between organizations working to curb trafficking in persons, especially women and children. Vitit Muntabhorn, from Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, said a lack of awareness is a major obstacle to cutting down on trade in women and children.

The guidebook portrays trafficking as a multidimensional problem that can encompass various forms of exploitation involving human rights, including slavery and slavery-like practices, migration, labour, and gender. It calls for a multifaceted response, utilizing the complete range of legal and other instruments relevant to all dimensions of trafficking. The publication was field tested at sub-regional seminars held in South East Asia, South Asia and Central Asia in 2002.

Contact: United Nations Information Services Bangkok, United Nations Building, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand, telephone +66-02/288 864, fax +66-02/2881052,
e-mail: unisbkk.unescap@un.org, website (www.unescap.org).

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More than 30 NGOs participated in the hearing, and 11 civil society representatives read their statements to the PrepCom, on issues ranging from foreign direct investment (FDI), to Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair Campaign, to making agricultural trade a stimulus for rural development. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the International Federation of Freight Forwarders (FIATA) also gave presentations, representing the parliamentarians and the private sector. All statements from the hearing are available on the NGLS website.

In his introductory remarks, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero said that many issues in the international trading system cope with the problems of trade and development, while emphasizing that trade is at the heart of the anti-globalization debate. He said these issues will continue to be major concerns in multilateral talks this year, and the agenda of UNCTAD XI is an effort to cope with the problems surrounding trade and development, and to enhance coherence between national strategies and international trade agreements.

In the afternoon, NGOs raised a number of procedural concerns—such as funding for participation, future civil society hearings, and access to pre-conference documents—in a common statement delivered by Iara Pietricovsky from the Brazilian NGO REBRIP.

A second civil society hearing is scheduled for 23 February. More information can be found online (www.unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=2675&lang=1).
Contact: Amel Haffouz, Civil Society Outreach, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/907 5048, e-mail <amel.haffouz@unctad.org>, website (www.unctad.org).

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“[This first ceremony is a] rededication to the ongoing struggle against all forms of racism, discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance and injustice,” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director General Koïchiro Matsuura said.

The commemorative year, throughout which the UN will sponsor exhibitions, concerts and studies, is an effort to end slavery’s offshoots such as human trafficking, child labour, forced marriage and bonded labour.

Although international conventions have banned slavery for decades, UNESCO’s figures reveal that in 2002 some 245 million children worked illegally, and each year 1.2 million youngsters are trafficked. For the complete abolition of slavery in the future, Anti-Slavery International is working with UNESCO to raise awareness in schools with a programme called Breaking the Silence.

Through their education programmes, UNESCO and Anti-Slavery International plan to focus on lingering and new forms of abuse, such as a form of hereditary bondage known as chattel slavery, bonded labour and the trafficking of women in the European sex trade. The project aims to increase awareness of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, its causes and its consequences—which include the immense contributions made by Africa to the social, cultural and economic development of the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe— and to help eliminate modern forms of slavery and racism. Worldwide, schools are encouraged to observe the 23 August International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

Contact: Andre Kramp, Chief, History and Culture Section, Division for Intercultural Dialogue, UNESCO, 1Rue Miollis, 75015 Paris, France, e-mail <a.kramp@unesco.org>, website (www.unesco.org/
culture/dialogue/slave).

Martine Miel, Anti-Slavery International, Education Department, Thomas Clarkson House, The Stableyard, Broomgrove Road, London SW9 9TL, United Kingdom, telephone +44-020/7501 8935, fax +44-020/7738 4110, e-mail <m.miel@antislavery.org>, website (www.antislavery.org/breakingthesilence).

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The second in a series of discussions initiated in February 2003, the Washington encounter took into consideration the participation of civil society in development; institutional governance and accountability; and the roles of public and private sectors in development.

The encounter proposed doing joint case studies on public and private roles—and civil society participation—in development, as well as a high-level meeting of the three institutions’ boards, tentatively scheduled for autumn 2004.

Although all three institutions agreed that “important differences remain between them,” the October meeting identified issues for further discussion: how the two financial institutions take human rights into account in their operations, and whether it is possible to achieve a common understanding on the challenges of globalization and the best ways to address them.

“So far, the encounters have been open, transparent and mutually challenging, and we have deepened our understanding of the dynamics of the international financial institutions,” said Rogate Mshana, WCC programme executive for economic justice. “But,” he added, “we still don’t know whether they are prepared to move away from the neo-liberal paradigm, which we see as responsible for much of the suffering in our world today.”
Contact: World Council of Churches, 150 route de Ferney, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland,
e-mail <media@wcc-coe.org>, website (www.wcc-coe.org).