Message body
UN DAILY from the
UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
28 September, 2011=========================================================================
TERRORISTS LINKED TO ORGANIZED CRIME IN TRAFFIC OF NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS – UN
The United Nations committee entrusted with helping countries tackle terrorism today voiced concern at the close connection between terrorists and transnational organized crime, including the illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other potentially deadly materials.
After a day-long meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), which was set up in the days following the attacks by Al Qaida against New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, stressed that despite “the real and significant achievements of the last 10 years,” much remains to be done at the national, regional and international levels.
In an outcome document it said “terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security, as evidenced notably by the terrorist attacks carried out recently in various regions of the world and by terrorists’ adaptation to, and misuse of new technologies, such as the Internet, for their communication, propaganda, financing, planning, recruitment and operational purposes.”
It noted with concern “the close connection between terrorism and transnational organized crime, including trafficking of illicit drugs, money-laundering, illegal arms trafficking, and illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other potentially deadly materials.”
Urging all to ensure zero-tolerance towards terrorism, it called for urgent action to prevent and combat the scourge by preventing those who finance, plan, facilitate or commit terrorist acts from using their respective territories and bringing them to justice.
Member States were also urged to prevent the movement of terrorists, including the supply of weapons, through effective border controls, to ensure that funds for charitable purposes are not diverted to terrorist purposes, to implement comprehensive strategies to address conditions that lead to the spread of terrorism including radicalization and recruitment, and to take appropriate steps to prevent and counter incitement to commit terrorist acts.
“Terrorism is still as potent a threat today as it was 10 years ago,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told this morning’s opening session. “Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives. Repeated attacks have had severe economic consequences and taken a toll on State stability and regional harmony.”
Both the outcome document and the speakers stressed the need for States to ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with international law, in particular human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, underscoring that effective counter-terrorism and respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Mike Smith, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate (CTED), noted that the international community had become much more aware of the fact that human rights and counter-terrorism need not conflict.
“Counter-terrorism programmes that ignore the human rights dimension are less effective and can even be counter-productive,” he said, also stressing “the critical need” to address the social and other societal conditions recruiters exploit to persuade young people to support terrorism.
“Naturally issues such as education, humanitarian support and good governance are important for their own sake, but they are also relevant to our work and should be taken into account in broader, more comprehensive and integrated strategies to address terrorism,” he said.
He noted the CTED’s close relationship with international and regional organizations such as the global police body Interpol, the Organization of American States (OAS), the African Union (AU) and the Council of Europe.
These organizations “have a familiarity with their member States, a strong presence in key countries, and very often important technical expertise,” Mr. Smith said. “Partnering with them means our recommendations are followed up and better implemented in-country than otherwise we could reasonably expect.”
With regard to the problem of incitement, he stressed that counter-terrorism work will have to engage actors going well beyond government, including civil society, professional associations, academics, journalists, parliamentarians, the private sector, teachers and religious leaders. “How to do this will be a challenge but it is one that all of us will need to take up,” he said.
“We have a very strong system of international cooperation which has to be worked on,” the CTC Chairman, Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri of India, told a news conference.
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SECURITY COUNCIL REFERS PALESTINIAN APPLICATION TO UN MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
The President of the Security Council today referred Palestine’s application to become a United Nations Member State to the committee that deals with the admission of new members.
The Council’s decision to refer the application comes almost a week after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted the application to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who then forwarded it to the 15-member body.
The Council’s Committee on the Admission of New Members is slated to consider the application on Friday.
Any application for UN membership is considered by the Council, which decides whether or not to recommend admission to the 193-member General Assembly, which then has to adopt a resolution for the admission of a Member State.
Palestine, which currently has observer status at the UN, submitted the application for full membership “based on the Palestinian people’s natural, legal and historic rights” and based on resolution 181 adopted by the General Assembly in November 1947, Mr. Abbas wrote in his submission to the Secretary-General.
In resolution 181, the Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab States.
Mr. Abbas added that the submission comes “after decades of displacement, dispossession and the foreign military occupation of my people” and with the successful culmination of the Palestinian State-building programme.
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WORLD IS WATCHING HOW SOUTH SUDAN BUILDS NEW NATION, SAYS UN ENVOY
The world will be watching to see that the commitments expressed by South Sudan’s leader last week before the General Assembly are translated into action, from the way the country manages its security and respects human rights to promoting transparency and good governance, the United Nations envoy to the country said today.
Hilde F. Johnson, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, told a news conference in the capital, Juba, that President Salva Kiir’s address on behalf of the newest Member State was “the right message at the right time.”
She said it included a commitment by the county to peaceful relations with Sudan, from which it gained independence in a UN-backed referendum earlier this year, as well as to establish a solid foundation for the new nation, based on political pluralism, good governance, transparency and accountability.
“We need to remember that the eyes of the world now are on South Sudan,” said Ms. Johnson. “The management of these critical processes and the political milestones will be important for South Sudan’s standing internationally.”
She commended the President for the steps he is taking in particular to end impunity against financial misconduct and to promote transparency and accountability.
“It is unacceptable when money devoted to developing the new and independent South Sudan ends [up] in private pockets and foreign accounts,” she said. “Investigation and prosecution against those involved is a precondition for South Sudan to succeed in building a new, strong and stable nation.”
Turning to security, Ms. Johnson noted that UNMISS has been supporting the Government in preventing a further escalation of communal violence, particularly in Jonglei state, where at least 600 people lost their lives in ethnic clashes last month.
The fighting in Jonglei between the Murle and Lou Nuer communities followed large-scale cattle raids by members of the two groups which led to the theft of between 26,000 and 30,000 cattle.
In the wake of the violence, UNMISS promptly deployed peacekeeping troops to defuse tensions and act as a deterrent. It also facilitated visits by religious leaders for conflict mitigation, and carried out “robust” ground and air patrols across the state on a daily basis, said Ms. Johnson.
“What we are doing now is stop-gap measures and trying to get processes in place that can help resolve the issues over time,” said the Special Representative. “But it is only through a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy that stability and peace in Jonglei can really happen.”
To assist the Government carry out its security responsibilities, UNMISS will help to transform the South Sudan Police Service (SSPS) and to strengthen its institutional capacity.
The UN has already begun training the country’s police officers in crime awareness and investigation. Earlier this week, UN agencies began a two-week course for 40 officers in Juba on issues such as identifying and investigating crime and reporting cases.
The training is a partnership between UNMISS, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The latter is also developing a document on police reforms in South Sudan.
Regarding the police force, Ms. Johnson highlighted the need for respect for human rights and training in human rights standards, noting there have been several cases of people reportedly being arrested, detained and beaten up.
A major challenge in this area, she said, is the fact that almost 80 per cent of the police force is illiterate. “To educate illiterate police in human rights standards is not easy, but we are going to look at creative ways of being able to do so.”
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ZIMBABWE’S ORPHANS TO BENEFIT FROM UN-BACKED CASH GRANT PROGRAMME
Tens of thousands of Zimbabwean orphans and otherwise vulnerable children will benefit from cash transfers, educational aid and protection services under a new Government programme launched in partnership with the United Nations and international donors.
Donors have mobilized $45 million of the $75 million needed for the Child Protection Fund for the next three years, but the gap needs to be filled to ensure full national coverage of the programme, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a news release.
“Protecting children from poverty, harm and abuse begins with reducing their vulnerabilities; cash transfers are one of the critical components that will contribute to the realization of children’s rights,” UNICEF’s representative Peter Salama said of the initiative, which was launched yesterday.
The national action plan, led by the Zimbabwean ministry of labour and social services, combines action to help families cope with risks and shocks through three main interventions: cash transfers to the poorest families; basic educational aid; and protection services for child survivors of abuse, violence and exploitation.
It aims to reach more than 80,000 households. With the support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), at least 25,000 children will benefit from access to quality child protection services.
Child-headed and grandparent-headed households, and those with large numbers of dependents and with chronically ill people or persons living with disabilities, will be cushioned with social cash transfers of up to $25 per month to enable families to meet immediate needs for food and health care.
HIV is a significant contributor to household poverty and child vulnerability in Zimbabwe, resulting in youngsters lacking access to adequate basic social services and being increasingly exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation, UNICEF noted.
There are over a million orphans in Zimbabwe and only 527,000 of these currently have access to external support. Traditional family and community mechanisms to support orphans have been under considerable financial strain resulting in more children facing difficulties accessing health care, education and other basic amenities.
The international donor community involved comprises the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the European Commission.
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UN-BACKED ONLINE GAME THAT FIGHTS WORLD HUNGER NOW IN FRENCH AND ITALIAN VERSIONS
Freerice.com, the online game that allows players to improve their vocabulary while simultaneously fighting world hunger by making donations to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), launched its French- and Italian-language versions today.
The new versions of Freerice will give millions of Italian and French speakers the chance to test their vocabulary and help feed hungry children around the world, said the WFP in a news release.
“Whether you are a French or Italian speaker eager to enrich your vocabulary or an avid language student, Freerice engages players in a fun and challenging way that helps the hungry,” said Nancy Roman, WFP Director of Communications, Public Policy and Private Partnerships Division.
The game, which already has English and Spanish versions, consists of increasingly difficult vocabulary and educational questions, and for every correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated to WFP and paid for by advertisers of the site.
Freerice became popular soon after it was released in 2007, and since then it has donated almost 100 billion grains of rice, enough to feed 4.8 million people for a day in countries such as Haiti, Uganda, Pakistan and Cambodia.
The game, designed by fundraising pioneer John Breen to help his teenage sons prepare for their college entrance exams, now attracts 40,000 players daily, and has evolved to allow players to form online groups and compete.
“Freerice is a truly innovative concept that has taken the Internet by storm over the last few years. From Paris to Montréal, and from Hanoi to Dakar, French speakers and learners around the world can now actively participate in this online viral phenomenon and help save millions of lives,” said Marina Catena, Director of WFP in France.
The WFP said Chinese- and Korean-language versions of the game will follow.
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UN REPORTS AGREEMENT ON WAYS TO ASSESS GREEN IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
The United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) today said that agreement has been reached on a globally-recognized set of methodologies to assess the environmental impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs), and on preparing a report on guidelines on the use of minerals from conflict areas.
At a meeting in Seoul, Republic of Korea, Seoul, ITU’s study group of the telecommunication standardization sector (ITU-T) agreed on the production of a report on due diligence guidelines for conflict minerals supply, and on an assessment of environmental protection and recycling solutions for batteries for mobile telephones and other ICT devices.
Estimates of how much ICTs can reduce global emissions, and estimates of emissions generated by the ICT sector itself, still vary widely due to the application of different measurement methodologies.
The problem was raised by delegates to the ITU symposium on ICTs and climate change in 2008, after which ITU took on the challenge and pioneered the adoption of a new globally-agreed set of standards.
To ensure consistency between different approaches, the new methodology has been developed in cooperation with other standardization organizations. The new methodology is also aligned with the Digital Agenda of the European Commission.
“This methodology has been developed by ITU’s industry members. This will be important in ensuring it gains wide acceptance by the world’s ICT industry,” said Hamadoun Touré, the ITU Secretary General.
“An internationally agreed methodology means estimates of the impact of ICTs on greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption will now have much greater credibility. It will also show just how significant a contribution ICTs can make by reducing global emissions in other sectors.”
Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, said: “I’m pleased that the industry is taking the task of measuring its own footprint so seriously. And I’m pleased that the ITU, as a UN agency, is doing such good work facilitating negotiations, reaching out globally to industry sub-sectors and to other standardization initiatives.”
The new ITU work on ‘conflict minerals’ will also begin in response to a request from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ITU will make a survey of existing due diligence requirements and guidelines concerning sources of conflict minerals – particularly those that are smelted into tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold – as well as their use in conformity with recognized international treaties and national legislation.
Rare earth minerals are used in consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, DVD players, video games and computers. Agreement to address this issue is a demonstration of the ICT industry’s commitment to sustainability at all levels of the value chain, according to ITU.
Following the success of ITU’s Universal Charging Solution for mobile devices, the meeting also agreed to study the benefits and disadvantages of the standardization of batteries for mobile terminals and other ICT devices, looking at energy efficiency over the battery life cycle, eco-design information, battery lifetime and exchangeability, safety and environmental protection, recycling and reuse.
This could lead to a reduction of harmful materials used in batteries and an increased lifespan of ICT products. Battery manufacturers, device makers, operators and users will all benefit, according to experts.
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HEAD OF UN OFFICE AGAINST DRUGS AND CRIME PRAISES COLOMBIA’S ANTI-NARCOTICS EFFORTS
The head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has praised Colombia’s political commitment to fighting narcotics production and related crimes and financial support of the office’s technical assistance projects against the scourge in the region.
On his first visit to the South American country, Yury Fedotov, the UNODC Executive Director, yesterday thanked the President Juan Manuel Santos for his Government’s generous funding of UNODC’s programmes.
Colombia, once the world’s leading producer of coca, has managed to cut down the cultivation of the raw material for cocaine significantly over the past decade. Its economic growth has also demonstrated a distinct correlation between increased national security and a declining drug economy, according to UNODC.
“Colombia’s progress in drastically reducing drug production has had a positive global impact in terms of security and public health. UNODC is prepared to continue to support Colombia in addressing existing and future challenges related to drugs and crime,” said Mr. Fedotov.
Mr. Fedotov visited Antioquia province, where many alternative development programmes are being implemented. He commended those successful efforts, which have helped wean poor farmers off coca crop cultivation by encouraging them to pursue legal livelihoods.
Programmes supported by UNODC have helped over 150,000 farmers switch from dependence on illicit markets to gainful employment by creating over 28,000 jobs and 600 rural enterprises that produce products such as coffee, cocoa, palm hearts, chocolate and honey.
By pioneering alternative development initiatives such as the Forest Warden Families programme, Colombia has made more than 4 million hectares, an area the size of the Netherlands, “drug-free.”
Those efforts may also have helped mitigate climate change – the production of a gram of cocaine leads to the destruction of four square metres of rainforest. Reforestation projects are thought to have captured some 75 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Mr. Fedotov stressed the principle of “shared responsibility” and the need to build national, regional and international efforts into a comprehensive strategy on the cultivation, production and trafficking of drugs. Colombia is one of the few countries to have embraced that principle.
“Consumer countries must do their part too and reduce the demand that drives the drugs trade, trafficking and violent crime,” he said. “This is a matter for all of us. I urge the international community to keep up support for Colombia, which has shouldered so much of the burden of drug-related crime and terrorism in the past.”
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MADAGASCAR, PANAMA ASK UN-BACKED BODY TO REGULATE TRADE IN HARDWOOD SPECIES
The secretariat of the United Nations-backed convention governing trade in endangered species said today that Madagascar and Panama have requested that it regulate the import and export of 91 hardwood species in a bid to curb the rising trade in illegally acquired high-quality wood.
The listing of ebony wood and rosewood species in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will facilitate detection of fraud and make critical trade information available to exporting and importing countries, according to CITES.
Appendix III regulations mean that all cross-border shipments now have to be authorized by the issuance of a document certifying the origin of the products covered by the listing.
Madagascar requested the inclusion in CITES of five species of rosewood (genus Dalbergia) and 84 species of ebony wood (genus Diospyros) after illegal trade increased by 25 per cent in 2009 and about 25,000 cubic metres of rosewood were exported.
Rosewood is sought after for its rich reddish-brown colour and hardwood, extensively used for high-end furniture, housing and musical instruments. In future, all international trade in logs, sawn wood and veneer sheets of the listed species will need to be accompanied by CITES documentation confirming the country of origin.
Panama also requested the help of the other 174 State Parties to CITES to control trade in Dalbergia darienensis and Dalbergia retusa, known as black rosewood or cocobolo. Dalbergia retusa are found mainly in dry tropical forests from Mexico to Panama.
Cocobolo is exceptionally good for marine use. Because it is hard, beautiful, and very stable, it is also used for gun grips, butts of billiard cues and chess pieces. Cocobolo is resonant when struck, making it a preferred material for marimbas, clarinets and xylophones.
Welcoming the new listings, which will enter into force on 22 December, the convention’s Secretary-General John Scanlon said: “CITES will support Madagascar’s and Panama’s efforts to control their timber trade and ensure that such trade remains legal and traceable.
“Regulating trade in these high-value timber species under CITES will help ensure that the benefits of trade flow to local people and it will also serve the global community by helping conserve these species, which will be to the benefit of entire ecosystems.”
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SOUTH SUDAN AMONG RECIPIENTS OF UN GRANTS TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Newly independent South Sudan is among 34 countries awarded grants today by a United Nations that seeks to end violence against women, along with another first-time recipient, Iraq.
“Violence against women is a human rights and public health emergency,” Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, said of the 15th batch of annual grants from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) which awarded $17.1 million for 22 initiatives.
“But it is not inevitable. With sufficient political will, funding, and carefully developed and targeted programmes, violence against women can be significantly reduced. Through its support, the UN Trust Fund helps key stakeholders do just that.”
The grants will support innovative and practical work at the grassroots level, covering a range of strategic interventions, such as increasing the access of women survivors of violence to medical and legal services in Iraq and supporting HIV-positive women to connect with traditional leaders in Malawi to counter widespread stigmatization and abuse.
In South Sudan, the American Refugee Committee (ARC) will assist the Government in developing guidelines for the clinical management of rape and a secure information management system to collect timely data on incidents of violence, while in Mexico, an observatory of 48 women’s groups will standardize protocols for criminal investigation of the killing of women and generate procedures for targeted police interventions.
In Kenya, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, Sonke Gender Justice Network and the MenEngage country networks will engage men and boys to prevent violence against women in their communities.
In Indonesia, Rifka Annisa will support implementation of the country’s Domestic Violence Eradication Act through ensuring that religious courts apply the law in their decisions.
Other initiatives receiving grants seek to reduce workplace violence in export-oriented garment factories in Bangladesh and India, and accelerate the channels of justice and health services for survivors of violence in Uruguay.
The UN Trust Fund is the only multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively devoted to supporting local and national efforts to end violence against women and girls. The majority of its grantees are non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with grants also awarded to governments and UN country teams.
Applications to the fund continue to increase and this year alone, it received more than 2,500 applications requesting nearly $1.2 billion for projects in 123 countries. To meet the growing need for resources to translate global and national commitments into action, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign has set a target to raise $100 million for the fund’s annual grant-making by 2015.
“Over the years, the UN Trust Fund has established itself as a leading source of support for innovative and catalytic projects, combating violence where it matters most, at the local and community levels,” Ms. Bachelet said. “If not for the tireless efforts of its grantees, tens of thousands of women and girls would not see justice for the abuse they suffer, nor would they know that they don’t have to live in fear.”
The new grants were made possible with support from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States.
The fund is also financially supported by partners in the private and nonprofit sectors, including the Avon and Avon Foundation for Women; Johnson & Johnson; the UN Foundation; M*A*C AIDS Fund; UN Women National Committees in Canada, Iceland, Japan, and the United Kingdom; and Zonta International and Zonta International Foundation.
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RURAL POOR IN GHANA AND NICARAGUA TO BENEFIT FROM UN-FUNDED PROJECTS
Thousands of households in Ghana and Nicaragua are set to benefit from projects aimed at building small businesses and enhancing productivity that are funded by the United Nations agency that works to improve the lives of the rural poor.
A $31.5 million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will help extend the Rural Enterprises Project, which has for the past 16 years provided Ghana’s rural poor with quality and easily accessible services such as affordable credit and cost-effective technology to improve productivity.
The new loan will finance the third phase of this project that will focus on rural women and youth in all rural areas of Ghana.
According to IFAD, Ghana was the first African country to have almost halved the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. However, despite the overall decline in the incidence of poverty in the country, the scourge still has a firm grip on rural areas, particularly in the north.
The agency has invested a total of over $677 million since 1980 to help reduce rural poverty in Ghana, benefiting nearly 1.8 million households.
Meanwhile, IFAD also signed a new $15 million loan agreement for a poverty reduction programme in Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. The five-year programme, know as NICARIBE, which seeks to create new opportunities for women, young people and indigenous communities in the Autonomous Regions of the Northern and South Atlantic departments.
“This important programme will work with over 100 communities on the Caribbean coast, allowing poor rural people living in these areas to improve productivity, access new markets, make more money and create better opportunities for their children,” said Josefina Stubbs, director of IFAD’s division for Latin America and the Caribbean.
With climate change and sustainable natural resource management becoming a national priority, the project will also support new approaches for environmental protection in the region and will strengthen local institutions and empower local governments with an economic development fund.
Since 1980 IFAD has supported eight rural poverty reduction projects in the Central American nation with over $100 million in funding.
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COMMITMENT AND FUNDING KEY TO ELIMINATING HIV INFECTIONS AMONG CHILDREN – UN
The goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS infections among children and ensuring that infected mothers stay healthy throughout pregnancy and after delivery can be met by the 2015 deadline with sufficient political commitment and adequate resources, the head of the United Nations agency spearheading the global response to the pandemic said today.
“Mother by mother, clinic by clinic, and country by country we can reach pregnant women with HIV services to ensure their babies are born free from HIV and to improve their own health,” said Michel Sidibé, the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) who is currently visiting South Africa.
According to UNAIDS, an estimated 90 per cent of new HIV infections among children occur in 22 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and India.
A global plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keep their mothers healthy and alive was launched during the UN high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York in June. It was developed by a global team co-chaired by UNAIDS and United States President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Mr. Sidibé visited Zola clinic in the Johannesburg suburb of Soweto, where 15 pregnant women are seen each day. South Africa has an ambitious HIV testing and counselling programme that has reached more than 13 million people since April last year.
Representatives from the 22 most affected countries will meet in South Africa next week to assess country plans. The two-day meeting will focus on country gap analysis and how to boost momentum in the campaign against HIV infections among children.
“South Africa has shown visionary leadership in the AIDS response in recent years,” said Mr. Sidibé when he met with South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi yesterday.
“In such a short period of time real results for people can be seen across the country. I am looking forward, over the next few days, to meeting the men and women who are making this happen and the families which are seeing the benefits.”
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UN AND SOUTH-EAST ASIAN BLOC DISCUSS ENHANCED COLLABORATION ON COMMON PRIORITIES
Top United Nations officials and ministers from the South-East Asian bloc known as ASEAN have discussed how to enhance collaboration between the two bodies, as well as issues such as disaster management and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Yesterday’s meeting at UN Headquarters, held on the margins of the high-level debate of the General Assembly’s 66th session, comes less than two months before the next ASEAN-UN Summit that will be held in Bali, Indonesia, on 19 November.
The meeting – attended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser and Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – discussed the UN’s global and regional priorities, as well as the priorities for the current Assembly session, according to a press release issued after the meeting.
ASEAN commended the priorities outlined by them, including the theme for the current Assembly session – “The Role of Mediation in the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes” – as well as others proposed by Mr. Ban in the areas of disaster management, peaceful settlement of disputes, and enhancing common prosperity, all of which coincided with efforts already being undertaken by the group.
The meeting also discussed various regional and global issues, particularly those of common concern and interest to ASEAN and the UN that are on the Assembly’s current agenda.
These include climate change, disaster management, maritime security and anti-piracy, conflict resolution, global financial crisis, sustainable development and the global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The UN and ASEAN hold the meeting each year in conjunction with the opening of the General Assembly’s main session.
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ECOTOURISM BOOM CAN HELP SAVE ENDANGERED FORESTS, UN AND PARTNERS SAY
The increasing demand for ecotourism can play a vital role in saving endangered forests, a United Nations-backed partnership said today, while also warning of the potential damaging effects if its expansion is not effectively managed.
According to the findings of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), which consists of 14 international organizations and secretariats, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the benefits of ecotourism flowing to local businesses are dramatically higher than those from mass tourism, providing an incentive to local communities to take care of their environment.
“Ecotourism has a far greater potential for contributing to income and livelihoods in poor rural communities than what is realized,” said FAO’s Edgar Kaeslin, a forestry officer in wildlife and protected area management.
The CPF found that standard all-inclusive package tours typically deliver just 20 per cent of revenue to local companies, while the rest is captured by airlines, hotels and large tour companies. Local ecotourism operations, however, can return as much as 95 per cent of earnings into the local economy.
The CPF also noted that ecotourism can motivate local communities to maintain and protect forests and wildlife as they see their income directly linked to the preservation of their environment.
However, it warned that ecotourism could damage forests if it grows too quickly and its expansion is mismanaged.
According to a news release by FAO, ecotourism is one of the fastest segments of tourism worldwide, growing at a pace of more than 20 per cent annually – two or three times faster than the tourism industry overall, and failure to limit tourists can permanently damage fragile ecosystems.
This rapid growth can have negative effects, as there is the risk that powerful players in the travel industry may seek to dominate and squeeze out smaller local operators, resulting in the disruption of local economies and ecosystems.
The CPF stressed that to avoid this, training for local people is essential to ensure they can compete successfully for desirable ecotourism jobs.
“It is crucial that local people are fully involved in the activities and receive sufficient benefits,” Mr. Kaeslin said.
Several sustainable ecotourism programmes such as the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) have already had successful results. By involving the local communities in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the gorilla population is rising in numbers.
“There is no question that is a direct result of the careful commitment to responsible tourism in East Africa that respects the gorillas and their habitat,” said GRASP coordinator Doug Cress.
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INDONESIA’S FINANCES, WATER SUPPLIES AND APES SET TO BENEFIT FROM UN GREEN PLAN
Conserving key forests in Indonesia could generate billions of dollars in revenue, up to three times more than felling them for palm oil plantations, under a United Nations carbon reduction plan that would also secure water supplies and protect critically endangered orangutan apes, according to a report issued today.
Under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), governments are negotiating a mechanism to provide payments for reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and other activities (REDD+), creating incentives for developing countries to cut global warming gasses from forested lands by putting a financial value for the carbon stored in forests.
Overall forest degradation through agricultural expansion, conversion to pastureland, infrastructure development, destructive logging and fires currently account for nearly 18 per cent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire global transport sector and second only to the energy sector.
Many coastal peat-rich forests in Sumatra, where dense populations of the last 6,600 Sumatran orangutans survive, may be worth up to $22,000 a hectare at current carbon prices, compared with less than $7,400 a hectare when cleared for palm oil plantations, according to the report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) under its Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), which Indonesia requested.
“Prioritizing investments in sustainable forestry including REDD+ projects can, as this report demonstrates, deliver multiple Green Economy benefits and not just in respect to climate, orangutan conservation and employment in natural resource management,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.
He noted that here had been a reported 50 per cent decline in water discharges in as many as 80 per cent of rivers due to deforestation in the Aceh and North Sumatra regions, with serious implications for agriculture and food security including rice production and human health.
The report recommends designating new forested areas for REDD+, taking into account the multiple benefits for carbon storage, orangutan habitat conservation and the protection of ecosystem services, while expanding palm oil plantations on land with low current use value and avoiding agricultural and timber concessions where conservation value is high.
The forested peatlands of Sumatra are among the most efficient carbon stores of any terrestrial ecosystem. In the last two decades, 380,000 hectares of Sumatran forests were lost to illegal logging each year, with an annual loss in carbon value estimated at more than $1 billion.
Nearly half of Sumatra’s forests disappeared between 1985 and 2007 and in the last decade, close to 80 per cent of the deforestation in the peatlands was driven by the expansion of oil palm plantations, while over 20 per cent was due to other uses, such as candlenut or coffee production.
Fewer than 6,600 Sumatran orangutans exist in the wild today, down from an estimated 85,000 in 1900, a 92 per cent drop. If this rate were to continue, the Sumatran orangutan could become the first of the great apes living today to go extinct in the wild, with local populations in parts of Sumatra disappearing as early as 2015.
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CAMBODIA’S DRAFT LAW ON NGOS DESERVES FURTHER REVIEW – UN EXPERT
An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged the Cambodian Government to carefully review a draft law that may hamper the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the South-east Asian nation.
“The Government of Cambodia should not proceed with the draft NGO law in its present form,” Surya P. Subedi said as he presented his annual report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“Of course, as a sovereign country, Cambodia is entitled to enact a law on NGOs, but the decision to adopt a law to regulate NGOs and associations is a critical initiative which requires careful attention, given its long-term implications for the development of Cambodian society,” added Mr. Subedi, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia.
Many of the civil society organizations in Cambodia have been playing an important role alongside the State in delivering key social services in the areas of education, health, rural development, sanitation, social welfare and the protection of natural resources and the environment, he noted.
In a news release issued in Geneva, Mr. Subedi urged the Government to take into account the concerns raised during the consultation process before enacting the law, especially the “onerous” requirements for registration and the lack of clear criteria on which registration applications will be considered.
In his report to the Council, the Special Rapporteur acknowledged that the overall situation of human rights had improved over the years in Cambodia, especially with the enactment of a number of key legislations.
At the same time, he underscored that there was still “a great deal of work to be done to strengthen the rule of law, to accelerate the process of democratization and to enhance the capacity of parliament to hold executive to account.”
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UNITED NATIONS NEWS SERVICE
28 September, 2011=========================================================================
TERRORISTS LINKED TO ORGANIZED CRIME IN TRAFFIC OF NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS – UN
The United Nations committee entrusted with helping countries tackle terrorism today voiced concern at the close connection between terrorists and transnational organized crime, including the illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other potentially deadly materials.
After a day-long meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), which was set up in the days following the attacks by Al Qaida against New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, stressed that despite “the real and significant achievements of the last 10 years,” much remains to be done at the national, regional and international levels.
In an outcome document it said “terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to international peace and security, as evidenced notably by the terrorist attacks carried out recently in various regions of the world and by terrorists’ adaptation to, and misuse of new technologies, such as the Internet, for their communication, propaganda, financing, planning, recruitment and operational purposes.”
It noted with concern “the close connection between terrorism and transnational organized crime, including trafficking of illicit drugs, money-laundering, illegal arms trafficking, and illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other potentially deadly materials.”
Urging all to ensure zero-tolerance towards terrorism, it called for urgent action to prevent and combat the scourge by preventing those who finance, plan, facilitate or commit terrorist acts from using their respective territories and bringing them to justice.
Member States were also urged to prevent the movement of terrorists, including the supply of weapons, through effective border controls, to ensure that funds for charitable purposes are not diverted to terrorist purposes, to implement comprehensive strategies to address conditions that lead to the spread of terrorism including radicalization and recruitment, and to take appropriate steps to prevent and counter incitement to commit terrorist acts.
“Terrorism is still as potent a threat today as it was 10 years ago,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told this morning’s opening session. “Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives. Repeated attacks have had severe economic consequences and taken a toll on State stability and regional harmony.”
Both the outcome document and the speakers stressed the need for States to ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with international law, in particular human rights, refugee and humanitarian law, underscoring that effective counter-terrorism and respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Mike Smith, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee’s Executive Directorate (CTED), noted that the international community had become much more aware of the fact that human rights and counter-terrorism need not conflict.
“Counter-terrorism programmes that ignore the human rights dimension are less effective and can even be counter-productive,” he said, also stressing “the critical need” to address the social and other societal conditions recruiters exploit to persuade young people to support terrorism.
“Naturally issues such as education, humanitarian support and good governance are important for their own sake, but they are also relevant to our work and should be taken into account in broader, more comprehensive and integrated strategies to address terrorism,” he said.
He noted the CTED’s close relationship with international and regional organizations such as the global police body Interpol, the Organization of American States (OAS), the African Union (AU) and the Council of Europe.
These organizations “have a familiarity with their member States, a strong presence in key countries, and very often important technical expertise,” Mr. Smith said. “Partnering with them means our recommendations are followed up and better implemented in-country than otherwise we could reasonably expect.”
With regard to the problem of incitement, he stressed that counter-terrorism work will have to engage actors going well beyond government, including civil society, professional associations, academics, journalists, parliamentarians, the private sector, teachers and religious leaders. “How to do this will be a challenge but it is one that all of us will need to take up,” he said.
“We have a very strong system of international cooperation which has to be worked on,” the CTC Chairman, Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri of India, told a news conference.
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SECURITY COUNCIL REFERS PALESTINIAN APPLICATION TO UN MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
The President of the Security Council today referred Palestine’s application to become a United Nations Member State to the committee that deals with the admission of new members.
The Council’s decision to refer the application comes almost a week after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted the application to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who then forwarded it to the 15-member body.
The Council’s Committee on the Admission of New Members is slated to consider the application on Friday.
Any application for UN membership is considered by the Council, which decides whether or not to recommend admission to the 193-member General Assembly, which then has to adopt a resolution for the admission of a Member State.
Palestine, which currently has observer status at the UN, submitted the application for full membership “based on the Palestinian people’s natural, legal and historic rights” and based on resolution 181 adopted by the General Assembly in November 1947, Mr. Abbas wrote in his submission to the Secretary-General.
In resolution 181, the Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab States.
Mr. Abbas added that the submission comes “after decades of displacement, dispossession and the foreign military occupation of my people” and with the successful culmination of the Palestinian State-building programme.
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WORLD IS WATCHING HOW SOUTH SUDAN BUILDS NEW NATION, SAYS UN ENVOY
The world will be watching to see that the commitments expressed by South Sudan’s leader last week before the General Assembly are translated into action, from the way the country manages its security and respects human rights to promoting transparency and good governance, the United Nations envoy to the country said today.
Hilde F. Johnson, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, told a news conference in the capital, Juba, that President Salva Kiir’s address on behalf of the newest Member State was “the right message at the right time.”
She said it included a commitment by the county to peaceful relations with Sudan, from which it gained independence in a UN-backed referendum earlier this year, as well as to establish a solid foundation for the new nation, based on political pluralism, good governance, transparency and accountability.
“We need to remember that the eyes of the world now are on South Sudan,” said Ms. Johnson. “The management of these critical processes and the political milestones will be important for South Sudan’s standing internationally.”
She commended the President for the steps he is taking in particular to end impunity against financial misconduct and to promote transparency and accountability.
“It is unacceptable when money devoted to developing the new and independent South Sudan ends [up] in private pockets and foreign accounts,” she said. “Investigation and prosecution against those involved is a precondition for South Sudan to succeed in building a new, strong and stable nation.”
Turning to security, Ms. Johnson noted that UNMISS has been supporting the Government in preventing a further escalation of communal violence, particularly in Jonglei state, where at least 600 people lost their lives in ethnic clashes last month.
The fighting in Jonglei between the Murle and Lou Nuer communities followed large-scale cattle raids by members of the two groups which led to the theft of between 26,000 and 30,000 cattle.
In the wake of the violence, UNMISS promptly deployed peacekeeping troops to defuse tensions and act as a deterrent. It also facilitated visits by religious leaders for conflict mitigation, and carried out “robust” ground and air patrols across the state on a daily basis, said Ms. Johnson.
“What we are doing now is stop-gap measures and trying to get processes in place that can help resolve the issues over time,” said the Special Representative. “But it is only through a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy that stability and peace in Jonglei can really happen.”
To assist the Government carry out its security responsibilities, UNMISS will help to transform the South Sudan Police Service (SSPS) and to strengthen its institutional capacity.
The UN has already begun training the country’s police officers in crime awareness and investigation. Earlier this week, UN agencies began a two-week course for 40 officers in Juba on issues such as identifying and investigating crime and reporting cases.
The training is a partnership between UNMISS, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The latter is also developing a document on police reforms in South Sudan.
Regarding the police force, Ms. Johnson highlighted the need for respect for human rights and training in human rights standards, noting there have been several cases of people reportedly being arrested, detained and beaten up.
A major challenge in this area, she said, is the fact that almost 80 per cent of the police force is illiterate. “To educate illiterate police in human rights standards is not easy, but we are going to look at creative ways of being able to do so.”
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ZIMBABWE’S ORPHANS TO BENEFIT FROM UN-BACKED CASH GRANT PROGRAMME
Tens of thousands of Zimbabwean orphans and otherwise vulnerable children will benefit from cash transfers, educational aid and protection services under a new Government programme launched in partnership with the United Nations and international donors.
Donors have mobilized $45 million of the $75 million needed for the Child Protection Fund for the next three years, but the gap needs to be filled to ensure full national coverage of the programme, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a news release.
“Protecting children from poverty, harm and abuse begins with reducing their vulnerabilities; cash transfers are one of the critical components that will contribute to the realization of children’s rights,” UNICEF’s representative Peter Salama said of the initiative, which was launched yesterday.
The national action plan, led by the Zimbabwean ministry of labour and social services, combines action to help families cope with risks and shocks through three main interventions: cash transfers to the poorest families; basic educational aid; and protection services for child survivors of abuse, violence and exploitation.
It aims to reach more than 80,000 households. With the support from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), at least 25,000 children will benefit from access to quality child protection services.
Child-headed and grandparent-headed households, and those with large numbers of dependents and with chronically ill people or persons living with disabilities, will be cushioned with social cash transfers of up to $25 per month to enable families to meet immediate needs for food and health care.
HIV is a significant contributor to household poverty and child vulnerability in Zimbabwe, resulting in youngsters lacking access to adequate basic social services and being increasingly exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation, UNICEF noted.
There are over a million orphans in Zimbabwe and only 527,000 of these currently have access to external support. Traditional family and community mechanisms to support orphans have been under considerable financial strain resulting in more children facing difficulties accessing health care, education and other basic amenities.
The international donor community involved comprises the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the European Commission.
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UN-BACKED ONLINE GAME THAT FIGHTS WORLD HUNGER NOW IN FRENCH AND ITALIAN VERSIONS
Freerice.com, the online game that allows players to improve their vocabulary while simultaneously fighting world hunger by making donations to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), launched its French- and Italian-language versions today.
The new versions of Freerice will give millions of Italian and French speakers the chance to test their vocabulary and help feed hungry children around the world, said the WFP in a news release.
“Whether you are a French or Italian speaker eager to enrich your vocabulary or an avid language student, Freerice engages players in a fun and challenging way that helps the hungry,” said Nancy Roman, WFP Director of Communications, Public Policy and Private Partnerships Division.
The game, which already has English and Spanish versions, consists of increasingly difficult vocabulary and educational questions, and for every correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated to WFP and paid for by advertisers of the site.
Freerice became popular soon after it was released in 2007, and since then it has donated almost 100 billion grains of rice, enough to feed 4.8 million people for a day in countries such as Haiti, Uganda, Pakistan and Cambodia.
The game, designed by fundraising pioneer John Breen to help his teenage sons prepare for their college entrance exams, now attracts 40,000 players daily, and has evolved to allow players to form online groups and compete.
“Freerice is a truly innovative concept that has taken the Internet by storm over the last few years. From Paris to Montréal, and from Hanoi to Dakar, French speakers and learners around the world can now actively participate in this online viral phenomenon and help save millions of lives,” said Marina Catena, Director of WFP in France.
The WFP said Chinese- and Korean-language versions of the game will follow.
* * *
UN REPORTS AGREEMENT ON WAYS TO ASSESS GREEN IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
The United Nations International Telecommunications Union (ITU) today said that agreement has been reached on a globally-recognized set of methodologies to assess the environmental impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs), and on preparing a report on guidelines on the use of minerals from conflict areas.
At a meeting in Seoul, Republic of Korea, Seoul, ITU’s study group of the telecommunication standardization sector (ITU-T) agreed on the production of a report on due diligence guidelines for conflict minerals supply, and on an assessment of environmental protection and recycling solutions for batteries for mobile telephones and other ICT devices.
Estimates of how much ICTs can reduce global emissions, and estimates of emissions generated by the ICT sector itself, still vary widely due to the application of different measurement methodologies.
The problem was raised by delegates to the ITU symposium on ICTs and climate change in 2008, after which ITU took on the challenge and pioneered the adoption of a new globally-agreed set of standards.
To ensure consistency between different approaches, the new methodology has been developed in cooperation with other standardization organizations. The new methodology is also aligned with the Digital Agenda of the European Commission.
“This methodology has been developed by ITU’s industry members. This will be important in ensuring it gains wide acceptance by the world’s ICT industry,” said Hamadoun Touré, the ITU Secretary General.
“An internationally agreed methodology means estimates of the impact of ICTs on greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption will now have much greater credibility. It will also show just how significant a contribution ICTs can make by reducing global emissions in other sectors.”
Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, said: “I’m pleased that the industry is taking the task of measuring its own footprint so seriously. And I’m pleased that the ITU, as a UN agency, is doing such good work facilitating negotiations, reaching out globally to industry sub-sectors and to other standardization initiatives.”
The new ITU work on ‘conflict minerals’ will also begin in response to a request from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). ITU will make a survey of existing due diligence requirements and guidelines concerning sources of conflict minerals – particularly those that are smelted into tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold – as well as their use in conformity with recognized international treaties and national legislation.
Rare earth minerals are used in consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, DVD players, video games and computers. Agreement to address this issue is a demonstration of the ICT industry’s commitment to sustainability at all levels of the value chain, according to ITU.
Following the success of ITU’s Universal Charging Solution for mobile devices, the meeting also agreed to study the benefits and disadvantages of the standardization of batteries for mobile terminals and other ICT devices, looking at energy efficiency over the battery life cycle, eco-design information, battery lifetime and exchangeability, safety and environmental protection, recycling and reuse.
This could lead to a reduction of harmful materials used in batteries and an increased lifespan of ICT products. Battery manufacturers, device makers, operators and users will all benefit, according to experts.
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HEAD OF UN OFFICE AGAINST DRUGS AND CRIME PRAISES COLOMBIA’S ANTI-NARCOTICS EFFORTS
The head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has praised Colombia’s political commitment to fighting narcotics production and related crimes and financial support of the office’s technical assistance projects against the scourge in the region.
On his first visit to the South American country, Yury Fedotov, the UNODC Executive Director, yesterday thanked the President Juan Manuel Santos for his Government’s generous funding of UNODC’s programmes.
Colombia, once the world’s leading producer of coca, has managed to cut down the cultivation of the raw material for cocaine significantly over the past decade. Its economic growth has also demonstrated a distinct correlation between increased national security and a declining drug economy, according to UNODC.
“Colombia’s progress in drastically reducing drug production has had a positive global impact in terms of security and public health. UNODC is prepared to continue to support Colombia in addressing existing and future challenges related to drugs and crime,” said Mr. Fedotov.
Mr. Fedotov visited Antioquia province, where many alternative development programmes are being implemented. He commended those successful efforts, which have helped wean poor farmers off coca crop cultivation by encouraging them to pursue legal livelihoods.
Programmes supported by UNODC have helped over 150,000 farmers switch from dependence on illicit markets to gainful employment by creating over 28,000 jobs and 600 rural enterprises that produce products such as coffee, cocoa, palm hearts, chocolate and honey.
By pioneering alternative development initiatives such as the Forest Warden Families programme, Colombia has made more than 4 million hectares, an area the size of the Netherlands, “drug-free.”
Those efforts may also have helped mitigate climate change – the production of a gram of cocaine leads to the destruction of four square metres of rainforest. Reforestation projects are thought to have captured some 75 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Mr. Fedotov stressed the principle of “shared responsibility” and the need to build national, regional and international efforts into a comprehensive strategy on the cultivation, production and trafficking of drugs. Colombia is one of the few countries to have embraced that principle.
“Consumer countries must do their part too and reduce the demand that drives the drugs trade, trafficking and violent crime,” he said. “This is a matter for all of us. I urge the international community to keep up support for Colombia, which has shouldered so much of the burden of drug-related crime and terrorism in the past.”
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MADAGASCAR, PANAMA ASK UN-BACKED BODY TO REGULATE TRADE IN HARDWOOD SPECIES
The secretariat of the United Nations-backed convention governing trade in endangered species said today that Madagascar and Panama have requested that it regulate the import and export of 91 hardwood species in a bid to curb the rising trade in illegally acquired high-quality wood.
The listing of ebony wood and rosewood species in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will facilitate detection of fraud and make critical trade information available to exporting and importing countries, according to CITES.
Appendix III regulations mean that all cross-border shipments now have to be authorized by the issuance of a document certifying the origin of the products covered by the listing.
Madagascar requested the inclusion in CITES of five species of rosewood (genus Dalbergia) and 84 species of ebony wood (genus Diospyros) after illegal trade increased by 25 per cent in 2009 and about 25,000 cubic metres of rosewood were exported.
Rosewood is sought after for its rich reddish-brown colour and hardwood, extensively used for high-end furniture, housing and musical instruments. In future, all international trade in logs, sawn wood and veneer sheets of the listed species will need to be accompanied by CITES documentation confirming the country of origin.
Panama also requested the help of the other 174 State Parties to CITES to control trade in Dalbergia darienensis and Dalbergia retusa, known as black rosewood or cocobolo. Dalbergia retusa are found mainly in dry tropical forests from Mexico to Panama.
Cocobolo is exceptionally good for marine use. Because it is hard, beautiful, and very stable, it is also used for gun grips, butts of billiard cues and chess pieces. Cocobolo is resonant when struck, making it a preferred material for marimbas, clarinets and xylophones.
Welcoming the new listings, which will enter into force on 22 December, the convention’s Secretary-General John Scanlon said: “CITES will support Madagascar’s and Panama’s efforts to control their timber trade and ensure that such trade remains legal and traceable.
“Regulating trade in these high-value timber species under CITES will help ensure that the benefits of trade flow to local people and it will also serve the global community by helping conserve these species, which will be to the benefit of entire ecosystems.”
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SOUTH SUDAN AMONG RECIPIENTS OF UN GRANTS TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Newly independent South Sudan is among 34 countries awarded grants today by a United Nations that seeks to end violence against women, along with another first-time recipient, Iraq.
“Violence against women is a human rights and public health emergency,” Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, said of the 15th batch of annual grants from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) which awarded $17.1 million for 22 initiatives.
“But it is not inevitable. With sufficient political will, funding, and carefully developed and targeted programmes, violence against women can be significantly reduced. Through its support, the UN Trust Fund helps key stakeholders do just that.”
The grants will support innovative and practical work at the grassroots level, covering a range of strategic interventions, such as increasing the access of women survivors of violence to medical and legal services in Iraq and supporting HIV-positive women to connect with traditional leaders in Malawi to counter widespread stigmatization and abuse.
In South Sudan, the American Refugee Committee (ARC) will assist the Government in developing guidelines for the clinical management of rape and a secure information management system to collect timely data on incidents of violence, while in Mexico, an observatory of 48 women’s groups will standardize protocols for criminal investigation of the killing of women and generate procedures for targeted police interventions.
In Kenya, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, Sonke Gender Justice Network and the MenEngage country networks will engage men and boys to prevent violence against women in their communities.
In Indonesia, Rifka Annisa will support implementation of the country’s Domestic Violence Eradication Act through ensuring that religious courts apply the law in their decisions.
Other initiatives receiving grants seek to reduce workplace violence in export-oriented garment factories in Bangladesh and India, and accelerate the channels of justice and health services for survivors of violence in Uruguay.
The UN Trust Fund is the only multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively devoted to supporting local and national efforts to end violence against women and girls. The majority of its grantees are non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with grants also awarded to governments and UN country teams.
Applications to the fund continue to increase and this year alone, it received more than 2,500 applications requesting nearly $1.2 billion for projects in 123 countries. To meet the growing need for resources to translate global and national commitments into action, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign has set a target to raise $100 million for the fund’s annual grant-making by 2015.
“Over the years, the UN Trust Fund has established itself as a leading source of support for innovative and catalytic projects, combating violence where it matters most, at the local and community levels,” Ms. Bachelet said. “If not for the tireless efforts of its grantees, tens of thousands of women and girls would not see justice for the abuse they suffer, nor would they know that they don’t have to live in fear.”
The new grants were made possible with support from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States.
The fund is also financially supported by partners in the private and nonprofit sectors, including the Avon and Avon Foundation for Women; Johnson & Johnson; the UN Foundation; M*A*C AIDS Fund; UN Women National Committees in Canada, Iceland, Japan, and the United Kingdom; and Zonta International and Zonta International Foundation.
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RURAL POOR IN GHANA AND NICARAGUA TO BENEFIT FROM UN-FUNDED PROJECTS
Thousands of households in Ghana and Nicaragua are set to benefit from projects aimed at building small businesses and enhancing productivity that are funded by the United Nations agency that works to improve the lives of the rural poor.
A $31.5 million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will help extend the Rural Enterprises Project, which has for the past 16 years provided Ghana’s rural poor with quality and easily accessible services such as affordable credit and cost-effective technology to improve productivity.
The new loan will finance the third phase of this project that will focus on rural women and youth in all rural areas of Ghana.
According to IFAD, Ghana was the first African country to have almost halved the proportion of people living in extreme poverty. However, despite the overall decline in the incidence of poverty in the country, the scourge still has a firm grip on rural areas, particularly in the north.
The agency has invested a total of over $677 million since 1980 to help reduce rural poverty in Ghana, benefiting nearly 1.8 million households.
Meanwhile, IFAD also signed a new $15 million loan agreement for a poverty reduction programme in Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. The five-year programme, know as NICARIBE, which seeks to create new opportunities for women, young people and indigenous communities in the Autonomous Regions of the Northern and South Atlantic departments.
“This important programme will work with over 100 communities on the Caribbean coast, allowing poor rural people living in these areas to improve productivity, access new markets, make more money and create better opportunities for their children,” said Josefina Stubbs, director of IFAD’s division for Latin America and the Caribbean.
With climate change and sustainable natural resource management becoming a national priority, the project will also support new approaches for environmental protection in the region and will strengthen local institutions and empower local governments with an economic development fund.
Since 1980 IFAD has supported eight rural poverty reduction projects in the Central American nation with over $100 million in funding.
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COMMITMENT AND FUNDING KEY TO ELIMINATING HIV INFECTIONS AMONG CHILDREN – UN
The goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS infections among children and ensuring that infected mothers stay healthy throughout pregnancy and after delivery can be met by the 2015 deadline with sufficient political commitment and adequate resources, the head of the United Nations agency spearheading the global response to the pandemic said today.
“Mother by mother, clinic by clinic, and country by country we can reach pregnant women with HIV services to ensure their babies are born free from HIV and to improve their own health,” said Michel Sidibé, the Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) who is currently visiting South Africa.
According to UNAIDS, an estimated 90 per cent of new HIV infections among children occur in 22 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and India.
A global plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keep their mothers healthy and alive was launched during the UN high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York in June. It was developed by a global team co-chaired by UNAIDS and United States President’s Emergency Plan on AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Mr. Sidibé visited Zola clinic in the Johannesburg suburb of Soweto, where 15 pregnant women are seen each day. South Africa has an ambitious HIV testing and counselling programme that has reached more than 13 million people since April last year.
Representatives from the 22 most affected countries will meet in South Africa next week to assess country plans. The two-day meeting will focus on country gap analysis and how to boost momentum in the campaign against HIV infections among children.
“South Africa has shown visionary leadership in the AIDS response in recent years,” said Mr. Sidibé when he met with South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi yesterday.
“In such a short period of time real results for people can be seen across the country. I am looking forward, over the next few days, to meeting the men and women who are making this happen and the families which are seeing the benefits.”
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UN AND SOUTH-EAST ASIAN BLOC DISCUSS ENHANCED COLLABORATION ON COMMON PRIORITIES
Top United Nations officials and ministers from the South-East Asian bloc known as ASEAN have discussed how to enhance collaboration between the two bodies, as well as issues such as disaster management and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Yesterday’s meeting at UN Headquarters, held on the margins of the high-level debate of the General Assembly’s 66th session, comes less than two months before the next ASEAN-UN Summit that will be held in Bali, Indonesia, on 19 November.
The meeting – attended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser and Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – discussed the UN’s global and regional priorities, as well as the priorities for the current Assembly session, according to a press release issued after the meeting.
ASEAN commended the priorities outlined by them, including the theme for the current Assembly session – “The Role of Mediation in the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes” – as well as others proposed by Mr. Ban in the areas of disaster management, peaceful settlement of disputes, and enhancing common prosperity, all of which coincided with efforts already being undertaken by the group.
The meeting also discussed various regional and global issues, particularly those of common concern and interest to ASEAN and the UN that are on the Assembly’s current agenda.
These include climate change, disaster management, maritime security and anti-piracy, conflict resolution, global financial crisis, sustainable development and the global anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The UN and ASEAN hold the meeting each year in conjunction with the opening of the General Assembly’s main session.
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ECOTOURISM BOOM CAN HELP SAVE ENDANGERED FORESTS, UN AND PARTNERS SAY
The increasing demand for ecotourism can play a vital role in saving endangered forests, a United Nations-backed partnership said today, while also warning of the potential damaging effects if its expansion is not effectively managed.
According to the findings of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), which consists of 14 international organizations and secretariats, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the benefits of ecotourism flowing to local businesses are dramatically higher than those from mass tourism, providing an incentive to local communities to take care of their environment.
“Ecotourism has a far greater potential for contributing to income and livelihoods in poor rural communities than what is realized,” said FAO’s Edgar Kaeslin, a forestry officer in wildlife and protected area management.
The CPF found that standard all-inclusive package tours typically deliver just 20 per cent of revenue to local companies, while the rest is captured by airlines, hotels and large tour companies. Local ecotourism operations, however, can return as much as 95 per cent of earnings into the local economy.
The CPF also noted that ecotourism can motivate local communities to maintain and protect forests and wildlife as they see their income directly linked to the preservation of their environment.
However, it warned that ecotourism could damage forests if it grows too quickly and its expansion is mismanaged.
According to a news release by FAO, ecotourism is one of the fastest segments of tourism worldwide, growing at a pace of more than 20 per cent annually – two or three times faster than the tourism industry overall, and failure to limit tourists can permanently damage fragile ecosystems.
This rapid growth can have negative effects, as there is the risk that powerful players in the travel industry may seek to dominate and squeeze out smaller local operators, resulting in the disruption of local economies and ecosystems.
The CPF stressed that to avoid this, training for local people is essential to ensure they can compete successfully for desirable ecotourism jobs.
“It is crucial that local people are fully involved in the activities and receive sufficient benefits,” Mr. Kaeslin said.
Several sustainable ecotourism programmes such as the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) have already had successful results. By involving the local communities in Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the gorilla population is rising in numbers.
“There is no question that is a direct result of the careful commitment to responsible tourism in East Africa that respects the gorillas and their habitat,” said GRASP coordinator Doug Cress.
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INDONESIA’S FINANCES, WATER SUPPLIES AND APES SET TO BENEFIT FROM UN GREEN PLAN
Conserving key forests in Indonesia could generate billions of dollars in revenue, up to three times more than felling them for palm oil plantations, under a United Nations carbon reduction plan that would also secure water supplies and protect critically endangered orangutan apes, according to a report issued today.
Under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), governments are negotiating a mechanism to provide payments for reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and other activities (REDD+), creating incentives for developing countries to cut global warming gasses from forested lands by putting a financial value for the carbon stored in forests.
Overall forest degradation through agricultural expansion, conversion to pastureland, infrastructure development, destructive logging and fires currently account for nearly 18 per cent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire global transport sector and second only to the energy sector.
Many coastal peat-rich forests in Sumatra, where dense populations of the last 6,600 Sumatran orangutans survive, may be worth up to $22,000 a hectare at current carbon prices, compared with less than $7,400 a hectare when cleared for palm oil plantations, according to the report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) under its Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), which Indonesia requested.
“Prioritizing investments in sustainable forestry including REDD+ projects can, as this report demonstrates, deliver multiple Green Economy benefits and not just in respect to climate, orangutan conservation and employment in natural resource management,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.
He noted that here had been a reported 50 per cent decline in water discharges in as many as 80 per cent of rivers due to deforestation in the Aceh and North Sumatra regions, with serious implications for agriculture and food security including rice production and human health.
The report recommends designating new forested areas for REDD+, taking into account the multiple benefits for carbon storage, orangutan habitat conservation and the protection of ecosystem services, while expanding palm oil plantations on land with low current use value and avoiding agricultural and timber concessions where conservation value is high.
The forested peatlands of Sumatra are among the most efficient carbon stores of any terrestrial ecosystem. In the last two decades, 380,000 hectares of Sumatran forests were lost to illegal logging each year, with an annual loss in carbon value estimated at more than $1 billion.
Nearly half of Sumatra’s forests disappeared between 1985 and 2007 and in the last decade, close to 80 per cent of the deforestation in the peatlands was driven by the expansion of oil palm plantations, while over 20 per cent was due to other uses, such as candlenut or coffee production.
Fewer than 6,600 Sumatran orangutans exist in the wild today, down from an estimated 85,000 in 1900, a 92 per cent drop. If this rate were to continue, the Sumatran orangutan could become the first of the great apes living today to go extinct in the wild, with local populations in parts of Sumatra disappearing as early as 2015.
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CAMBODIA’S DRAFT LAW ON NGOS DESERVES FURTHER REVIEW – UN EXPERT
An independent United Nations human rights expert today urged the Cambodian Government to carefully review a draft law that may hamper the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the South-east Asian nation.
“The Government of Cambodia should not proceed with the draft NGO law in its present form,” Surya P. Subedi said as he presented his annual report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“Of course, as a sovereign country, Cambodia is entitled to enact a law on NGOs, but the decision to adopt a law to regulate NGOs and associations is a critical initiative which requires careful attention, given its long-term implications for the development of Cambodian society,” added Mr. Subedi, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia.
Many of the civil society organizations in Cambodia have been playing an important role alongside the State in delivering key social services in the areas of education, health, rural development, sanitation, social welfare and the protection of natural resources and the environment, he noted.
In a news release issued in Geneva, Mr. Subedi urged the Government to take into account the concerns raised during the consultation process before enacting the law, especially the “onerous” requirements for registration and the lack of clear criteria on which registration applications will be considered.
In his report to the Council, the Special Rapporteur acknowledged that the overall situation of human rights had improved over the years in Cambodia, especially with the enactment of a number of key legislations.
At the same time, he underscored that there was still “a great deal of work to be done to strengthen the rule of law, to accelerate the process of democratization and to enhance the capacity of parliament to hold executive to account.”
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