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Middle East

24 May - Reacting to Israel's downing today of a small

Lebanese aircraft that flew into its territory, a United

Nations envoy in the region urged all sides to control their actions, but noted that frequent Israeli violations of the withdrawal line -- known as the Blue Line - had contributed to heightened tensions. Staffan de Mistura, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Personal Representative for Southern Lebanon, made his comments in Beirut in the wake of what he described as a "tragic incident." The civilian aircraft, which had no authorization to fly from Lebanon into Israel, was shot down by the Israeli Air Force after having failed to respond to warnings. The envoy said the event served as an "important reminder of the highly volatile situation in the region, and in particular along the Blue Line, in relation with the first anniversary of Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon." Calling on all sides to exercise maximum restraint during the forthcoming critical days, Mr. de Mistura said, "we should not underestimate the negative effects of the almost daily violations by the Israeli Air Force across the Blue Line and the unjustified sonic booms deep inside Lebanon, which in turn contribute to increasing tension." The UN still has not obtained complete details on the incident and the pilot's intentions, according to the statement. Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon was officially confirmed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a report submitted to the Security Council on 16 June 2000. In Jerusalem today, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle-East, Terje Roed-Larsen, said the anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon was a victory for the people of both countries. Commenting on today's aerial incident and the motives behind it, Mr. Roed-Larsen said "all violations of the Blue Line, whether intentioned or not, must not occur."

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UN/US

24 May - On a one-day official visit to Washington,

D.C., Secretary-General Kofi Annan today met with senior members of the United States Congress to discuss issues of mutual concern, including regional hotspots such as Iraq and the Balkans as well as the AIDS pandemic and the United Nations budget. The Balkans, the Middle East, Iraq and peacekeeping missions in Africa, topped the agenda of Mr. Annan's morning session with Representative Richard Gephardt, the Democratic Minority leader, and three members of the House Appropriations Committee -- David Obey, Nita Lowey and Nancy Pelosi. According to a UN spokesperson, that meeting also touched on the Secretary-General's call to action against HIV/AIDS. When the issue of the UN budget came up in the discussions, the Secretary-General's top financial official, Under-Secretary-General for Management Joseph Connor, emphasized that the world body's cost outlays had not grown since 1994. The meeting was followed by a question-and-answer session with over 30 members of the House International Relations Committee, including Chairman Henry Hyde and ranking minority member Tom Lantos. Participants raised a broad range of issues, including the Secretary-General's proposed Global Fund for AIDS and Health, recent elections to the UN Human Rights Commission, and political hotspots such as the Middle East and the Balkans. The UN spokesperson said that the discussions also touched on the possibility of the United States rejoining the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which the US had left in the 1980s. One participant noted that legislation to permit the country to rejoin UNESCO had been introduced last week. Following a private luncheon, Mr. Annan was scheduled to meet with the Editorial Board of The Washington Post and hold further talks with members of Congress.

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India-Pakistan

24 May - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan

today hailed moves by India and Pakistan that could lead to a summit meeting between the two South Asian countries. "The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the decision of the Indian Government to invite the Chief Executive of Pakistan to come to New Delhi," a spokesman for Mr. Annan said in a statement. "He is encouraged that General Musharraf has responded positively to this invitation and hopes that a summit between Prime Minister Vajpayee and General Musharraf would be arranged without undue delay." Mr. Annan believes, the statement said, that a meeting now at the highest level would further ease tensions in the region and facilitate a resumption of a sustained Indo-Pakistan dialogue, "which is very much in the long-term interests of both countries." The Secretary-General, who recently visited South Asia and conferred with both leaders, has consistently urged India and Pakistan to resume direct contacts to address outstanding bilateral and regional issues, including Kashmir, the spokesman said.

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Great Lakes

24 May - The United Nations Security Council mission to the Great Lakes region of Africa arrived in Rwanda today, where it visited a memorial to the victims of the 1994 genocide and met with high-level Government officials. At the Gisovi Genocide Memorial, the 12 ambassadors comprising the Council delegation were welcomed by the mayor of Kigali, who recalled the circumstances of the tragic events. "Despite receiving warning signs from many United Nations agencies and from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR)," the mayor said, "the international community turned a deaf ear and watched as a population was almost exterminated." During a tour of the site, the ambassadors were told that close to 250,000 people had been taken from mass graves and reburied at the memorial. Ambassador Jean-David Levitte of France, who leads the Council mission, laid a wreath on one of the graves on behalf of the whole delegation. The mission later met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and other Government officials. Tomorrow, the group will travel to Kampala, Uganda, the last stop on its eight-country trip. * * *

OAU

24 May - As the Organization of African Unity (OAU) celebrated today its thirty-eighth anniversary, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed the body as "the voice of Africa in the concert of nations" and a vital forum for regional cooperation. In his message to an OAU meeting held to mark the occasion, the Secretary-General stressed that the Organization had helped Africa to play its part on the international stage and provided the nations on the continent with "a clear goal and a collective vision." Mr. Annan's message was delivered on his behalf by his Special Adviser for Africa, Ibrahim Gambari. Paying tribute to the OAU's successes, Mr. Annan pointed to the OAU's role as a rallying-point during the liberation struggle and its efforts today to mobilize the collective will of the continent against war, want and disease, including HIV/AIDS. He also expressed confidence that as the world increasingly came to recognize the potential of regional organizations to achieve peace and prosperity, UN-OAU cooperation would grow even stronger. Looking to the future, the Secretary-General said the OAU would provide an indispensable forum and structure for its Member States to plan how best to further their shared interests. He added that plans to transform the OAU into an "African Union" constituted "a bold endeavour which deserves the fullest support from the international community." This initiative was also highlighted in the anniversary message of OAU Secretary-General Salim A. Salim. "The inspiration of the African Union, and the spirit that propelled all of us to pursue it, has been the recognition of the imperative necessity for Africans to pool together our strengths, solidify our unity and solidarity and dedicate ourselves to our common destiny," he said. While noting several "positive and encouraging" developments across the continent, including the progress towards peace in Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone, Mr. Salim pointed to areas where continued vigilance was warranted, especially "the grave situation between Liberia and Guinea and the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Burundi." On broader challenges facing Africa, the OAU chief said the AIDS pandemic was "threatening to tear apart the fabric of our societies" and warned that it was "an illusion" to believe that such problems could be surmounted through individual efforts alone. "We need to be together," he said.

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Kosovo

24 May - The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) today reacted positively to a reported statement by the leadership of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia advising Kosovo Serbs to register for the upcoming elections. "This is good news," said Simon Haselock, a spokesman for Hans Haekkerup, who heads the UN mission. "Mr. Haekkerup would like to welcome President Kostunica's remarks reported in the press that he and the Serbian Government would recommend to Kosovo Serbs that they should register as voters for the Kosovo elections." While noting that President Kostunica's statement was not a commitment to recommend that Kosovo Serbs participate in the 17 November elections, Mr. Haekkerup felt that an encouragement to register helped to keep their options open, the spokesman said. He stressed that from UNMIK's point of view, all Kosovo citizens should fully participate in the elections.

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HIV/AIDS

24 May - The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) signed today a cooperation agreement in a move to address the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls. The new partnership, which will help strengthen the UN's global response to the epidemic, takes place as governments end weeklong deliberations at UN Headquarters in New York in preparation for next month's special session of the UN General Assembly on HIV/AIDS. According to the two agencies, while the AIDS itself is a health problem, the epidemic is a gender issue, with women constituting 47 per cent of the 34.7 million adults living with the virus worldwide. "Gender inequality is at the heart of the epidemic, which today is our biggest threat to development," said Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director for UNIFEM. "We must address power imbalances in every single policy, strategy and programme related to prevention, treatment and care, if we seriously want to tackle this global challenge. It is not simply a matter of justice and fairness. In this case, gender inequality is fatal." It is estimated that 55 per cent of all HIV positive adults in Sub-Saharan Africa are women, according to the UN agencies. Teenage girls are infected at a rate 5 times greater than their male counterparts. By the mid 1990s, more than 25 per cent of sex workers in Indian cities had tested positive for HIV. "The proportion of women living with HIV/AIDS has risen steadily in recent years," said Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS. "Today, young women in the developing world are twice as likely to be infected as men." As part of the new agreement, UNIFEM and UNAIDS will work together to raise awareness about the role of power imbalances between women and men and the role of gender relations in HIV transmission. The agencies will investigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on both infected and affected women; the added burden of care imposed on women and girls; and gender inequality in access to prevention, treatment, care and support. The two agencies will also jointly develop gender-sensitive training manuals for peacekeepers and will work with women's groups in conflict areas to support their involvement in HIV/AIDS programmes within the context of peace-building, peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance.

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UNICEF

24 May - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has commended the Organization of African Unity (OAU) for its decision to hold a high-level meeting to review the situation of Africa's children and develop recommendations for ensuring the full realization of their rights in the 21st century, the agency said today in a statement. The Pan-African Forum on the Future of Children in Africa -- which aims to foster a dynamic movement involving governments, civil society, the corporate sector and individuals -- will adopt a common African position on the needs of children for consideration by the UN General Assembly special session on children to be held in New York in September. "This move reinforces the OAU's continued commitment to the well-being of children," said Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF. "African States have been among the first countries in the world to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Ottawa Convention to Ban Landmines." The Pan-African Forum, organized by the OAU, will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from 28 to 31 May 2001. The invitees include OAU Members States, representatives of humanitarian agencies, prominent child-rights activists and scholars. Ms. Bellamy lamented the fact that in spite of overall improvements in the quality of life for children around the world, the social and economic situation of African children continued to show marked regression due mainly to poverty, conflict, gender discrimination and HIV/AIDS. "Ten years after the 1990 World Summit for Children, the time has come for an honest and frank appraisal of the progress made for children so as to be able to address shortcomings and set a new agenda," she said.

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FAO

24 May - Both developing and developed countries have failed to demonstrate their commitment to set aside the resources required to achieve the eradication of hunger, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement issued today in Rome. FAO's warning comes in a paper to be presented at the 27th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), which will meet at the agency's Rome headquarters from 28 May to 1 June to lay the groundwork for a follow-up to the 1996 World Food Summit. At the Rome meeting, dubbed World Food Summit: Five Years Later, heads of State and Government will explores ways of meeting the 1996 forum's goal of reducing the number of undernourished people in the world by half by 2015 at the latest. Recent data indicate that the number of hungry people in the world is declining by only 8 million people a year, not by the 20 million a year necessary to meet the target. According to FAO, achieving the summit's goal will require that the eradication of hunger be adopted as a specific and high-priority objective nationally and internationally within poverty reduction strategies. The agency calls on the international community to recognize that all humanity enjoys a right to food in the context of international human rights legislation. Despite a strong global consensus that the main goal for development must be the elimination of poverty and that lack of access to adequate food is the most appalling manifestation of poverty, there has been a conspicuous lack of focus within poverty reduction strategies on food security issues, the agency says. It notes that concern over hunger tends to be confined largely to highly visible emergency situations, but the bulk of the world's undernourished people face food shortages day-in, day-out throughout their lives.

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Eritrea

24 May - Launching a multi-million dollar emergency relief appeal, a United Nations food agency today expressed grave concern over the fate of 1 million war-affected Eritreans still struggling to meet their basic food needs a year after the end of their country's border conflict with neighbouring Ethiopia. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it needed $44 million to fund more than 102,000 tonnes of food -- enough to feed a million Eritreans from May 2001 to February 2002. Those requiring emergency relief are 300,000 more than the number WFP fed last year. "Over the next few months, our first priority is to ensure that families continue to have enough to eat," said Patrick Buckley, Country Director for WFP. "This country is agriculturally crippled. If people are not back in their villages at the latest in one month's time, they will not be able to take advantage of the rains to start cultivating and planting." The combined effects of drought and war have pushed the price of increasingly scarce basic foodstuffs beyond the means of most Eritrean families. Many of the hundreds of thousands of families forced to flee their homes by the border conflict are farmers from the agriculturally rich regions of Gash Barka and Debub, which generate 70 per cent of the nation's food production. Among the reasons hindering their return is the delay in the creation of the Temporary Security Zone that covers a large part of Eritrea's agriculturally productive areas, WFP said. Another obstacle is the risk of movement and cultivation in heavily mined areas. Meanwhile WFP continued its efforts to feed an additional 740,000 victims of the prolonged drought in the country's northern highlands and Red Sea regions. Mr. Buckley emphasized the need to move away from emergency assistance to supporting families while they got back on their feet. That would take months, if not years, he said.

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Ecotourism 24 May - Experts from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean gathered at the United Nations offices in Santiago, Chile, today, for a two-day seminar on attracting tourists who wish to experience the region's ecological wonders. The seminar on "local policies for global opportunities" aims to promote the development of ecotourism while preserving Latin America's natural environment, according to Ricardo Jordan, an official from the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, which co-organized the event with Chile's National Forestry Service. Mr. Jordan underscored the value of sharing environmental marvels with visitors. "If you leave these areas abandoned with no use at all, you are going to lose them with no return," he told the UN News Service. He added that "it is preferable that you have some ecotourism activities" achieving both conservation and development. Experts devoted their talks to how local communities can improve their capacities to deal with new ecotourism opportunities. According to ECLAC, while general tourism is growing at a rate of 4 per cent worldwide, ecotourism is expanding at a much faster pace -- 25 per cent annually. Today's sessions also focused on case studies of ecotourism in renowned environmental preserves, such as Monteverde in Costa Rica and the Galapagos in Ecuador. Tomorrow's meetings will address ecotourism in Chile, including a discussion of State-protected wilderness areas.