UN Chronicle back issues from December 2001:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee. (Citation).(Nobel Peace Prize awareded to Kofi Anan and the United Nations)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The Nobel Peace Prize 2001 THE NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2001, in two equal portions, to the United Nations (U.N.) and to its Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world. ...
Women as victims and resolvers of hunger. (Guest Column).(Angola)(Brief Article)(Column)
Dec 01, 2001; ... Women, especially in the Angolan society, are one of the main victims of hunger, not only because they constitute the majority of the population, but also due to the special circumstances in which their society finds itself as a result of the direct and indirect consequences of war, whose ...
Gathering to decide what to do. (General Assembly Debate).(terrorism)(Excerpt)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The most hopeful thought about the United Nations is the name itself. During the high-level general debate of the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly, Member States and Observer groups affirmed that hope--speaking in one voice--against terrorism and the conditions that spawn it ....
The United Nations responds: in the wake of September 11.(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001 ... ICAO The Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) concluded its 33rd session on 5 October in Montreal, Canada with the adoption of specific resolutions to increase the safety and security of international civil aviation. A record 1,130 participants from ...
The Security Council, human rights and humanitarian issues. (Thinking Aloud).
Dec 01, 2001; ... There has been much discussion of the actual or potential role of the SECURITY COUNCIL in dealing with humanitarian emergencies and situations of gross violations of human rights. This essay draws on its practice, with a view to offering a distillation of principles that have emerged in ...
`A smooth and representative election process'. (Independence of East Timor).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... East Timor's peaceful transition towards independence has been an impressive success story for the United Nations. On 30 August 2001, exactly two years after it had voted for independence in a UN-sponsored popular referendum, East Timor held its first-ever democratic elections. An ...
Crocodiles prove no bad Omen. (Field Watch).(East Timor independence)(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001; ... For much of the international press, living on a diet of violence and bloodshed as they do, the 30 August Constituent Assembly elections in East Timor must have been a bit of a let-down. It was ever so peaceful. But the polling was big news nonetheless, because with that day's vote East ...
The Special Committee on decolonization. (System Watch).(United Nations)
Dec 01, 2001; ... The Special Committee on decolonization--formally known as the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples--held a seminar from 23 to 25 May 2001 in Havana, Cuba, to review the ...
A call against arms: the small arms conference.(United Nations)(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001 ... War today does not have to be high-tech. Jet bombers or fighters armed with stealth technology and smart bombs need not fly overhead. Armoured tanks and personnel carriers, night vision goggles and global positioning technology are all "nonessential". In reality, a few truckloads of cheap ...
New hope for restricting Certain Conventional Weapons.(related article: CCW Review Conference Proposals)
Dec 01, 2001; ... The coverage of conventional weapons in multilateral treaties is considered by many to be less extensive than that of weapons of mass destruction. Yet, casualties in recent conflicts have been caused overwhelmingly by conventional weapons. The 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional ...
Moorings: the world of United Nations peoples; disarmament exhibit steals centre stage.(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... In August, staff member Thomas Cortijo and I passed the ivory carving of the Chengtu-Kunming railroad, winding through mountains and connecting the surrounding provinces, on display at the United Nations. The gift from China mesmerized him. "This is my favourite. Every time I see it, I ...
After the prize, no resting on laurels: 'not more technical or feasibility studies'.(United Nations)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the United Nations staff have won this year's Nobel Peace Prize, but it is not enough, as Mr. Annan remarked, for the Organization to rest on its laurels. It also needs to continue to look at how to create a shared future. In a report published on 19 ...
Millennium summit road map. (Goals & Target).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Target 1. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day. Target 2. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Goal 2 Achieve ...
Should UN Day be an international public holiday? (Opinion).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... At the end of the twentieth century, the world and the United Nations found themselves in deep trouble. Secretary-General Kofi Annan emerges as a positive, optimistic thinker and negotiator, whose total energy is devoted to the implementation of his responsibilities under the United ...
From the Secretary-General: 'How would Hammarskjold have handled this?'.(Dag Hammarskjold)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... It will not surprise you to hear that Dag Hammarskjold is a figure of great importance to me--as he must be for any SECRETARY-GENERAL. His life and his death, his words and his action, have done more to shape public expectations of the office, and indeed of the Organization, than those of ...
Towards Johannesburg. (Essay).(World Summit on Sustainable Development)
Dec 01, 2001; ... "If national governments are basically unilateral in their attitudes towards global problems, anarchy will prevail over international governance and what should be our global village may turn into a global jungle." -Gro Harlem Brundtland, addressing the "Earth Summit", Rio de ...
Catalyzing economic activity.(Nestle (South Africa) water supply project)
Dec 01, 2001; ... Water is our most precious and indispensable natural resource. In many parts of the developing world, clean water can be a scarce resource, while in rural areas water supply is a major problem. Nestle in South Africa has worked with many community-based organizations in supporting numerous ...
Towards an active and visible policy. (Women in Peacekeeping).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The Security Council on 31 October met to consider the item on women, peace and security, exactly one year after the Council adopted resolution 1325 (2000), calling on all actors involved in negotiating and implementing peace agreements to adopt gender perspectives that included the ...
From the birthplace of passive resistance, a call for tolerance. (Durban Conference against Racism).
Dec 01, 2001 ... The World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance ended in Durban, South Africa, with a call for the international community to eradicate those scourges. Durban: where Gandhi began his movement of passive resistance against apartheid and ...
The Chronicle interview.(Mechai Viravaidya)(Interview)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Mechai Viravaidya, who was in New York to attend the 54th Annual Conference for Non-Governmental Organizations associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information, is a social activist, government planner and NGO leader. He is Chairman of the Population and Community ...
Innovative alliances with the United Nations. (Partnerships).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... The United Nations is the only universal forum for international cooperation. Its Charter is not only a visionary document, it is a practical instrument for the preservation of peace, the promotion of environmentally sound development and the protection of human rights for all people. ...
Innovative alliances with the United Nations. (Partnerships).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... In 1997, philanthropist Ted Turner announced he would give $1 billion to support United Nations causes. In the four years since that historic announcement, the United Nations Foundation (UNF) and its sister organization--the Better World Fund (BWF)--have provided grants totalling $500 ...
Strengthening the UN-US relationship the Better World Campaign.(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... In March 2000, the Board of Directors of the Better World Fund (BWF), under the leadership of its Chairman, Ted Turner, extended the life of the BETTER WORLD CAMPAIGN (BWC) by renewing its grant for two years. This allows BWC to continue its work to strengthen the United States-United ...
Networking with Cisco Systems: 'central to the mission of UNDP'.(United Nations Development Programme)
Dec 01, 2001; ... Cisco Systems, Inc., a global leader in networking for the Internet, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly launched the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Initiative at the G-8 Summit in July 2000. Since the announcement of the strategic partnership, CISCO SYSTEMS, ...
Essential to the world, essential to my country.
Dec 01, 2001; ... Perspectives: After the Soviet Union Following the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ten years ago, its constituent republics joined the United Nations as newly independent States. The USSR was an original member of the world Organization from 24 October ...
One fourth of a nation lost.(Belarus)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Belarus was one of the founding Member States of the United Nations, perceived by its founding fathers as a guarantor for both small and large nations, irrespective of the level of their economic development and military might, to defend them based on equality of rights and national ...
The third most powerful nuclear arsenal renounced.(Ukraine)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... From the moment of achieving independence, Ukraine has shown itself as a predictable and peace-loving member of the international community. Having clearly defined its priorities in foreign policy, Ukraine continues to adhere to them purposefully and unswervingly. The main strategic ...
Peace plan endorsed. (PeaceWatch: Afghanistan).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... The Security Council on 14 November endorsed a United Nations plan for a political solution to the situation in Afghanistan. It unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming that the United Nations should play a "central role" in supporting the attempts of the Afghan people to establish a ...
UNITA attacks condemned. (PeaceWatch: Angola).(National Union for the Total Independence of Angola; attacks on civilians)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... The Security Council on 20 September condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attacks by UNITA forces on the civilian population of Angola, and said it would maintain sanctions against them until they met the conditions laid out in its resolutions. The Council President said that ...
New transitional government. (PeaceWatch: Burundi).(also, protecting Afghanistan's war-affected children)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001; ... Calling it a defining moment in the history of Burundi, Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 1 November hailed the inauguration of the country's transitional government as an event that demonstrated the ability of Africans to find solutions to the continents problems. The Secretary-General ...
UN troop deployment approved. (PeaceWatch: Democratic Republic of the Congo).(Kisangani)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... Stressing again the importance of the demilitarization of Kisangani to the overall peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Security Council on 9 November supported the deployment of UN troops in the eastern part of the country as part of phase Ill of the Lusaka ...
First parliamentary elections held. (PeaceWatch: Kosovo).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... The international community has hailed Kosovo's first parliamentary election under UN rule as a huge success. The region's administrators said there were few serious violations or disruptions, despite some intimidation of Serb voters by hardliners campaigning against the election. The ...
Withdrawal from Palestinian areas urged. (PeaceWatch: Middle East).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001; ... The Security Council on 26 October called on Israel to immediately withdraw its forces from Palestinian-controlled areas. It said it "fully supported the important diplomatic initiatives to deescalate the situation on the ground", and "strongly supported" all elements contained in a ...
Peace process funding needed. (PeaceWatch: Sierra Leone).(sanctions on Liberia)(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001; ... Noting a number of positive political developments in Sierra Leone, the Security Council on 8 November urged international funding to bolster the country's efforts to achieve peace. Citing steps being taken to transform the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) into a political party, as ...
Other peacekeeping-related matters.(includes related articles)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Bougainville: Hailing the political agreement between the Government of Papua New Guinea and leaders from the island of Bougainville, the Secretary-General on 30 August urged combatants to turn in their weapons and clear the way for post-conflict peace-building activities. He said the ...
Governments Combat Desertification. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Observing World Day to COMBAT DESERTIFICATION on 17 June, UN officials urged international support for efforts to halt land degradation. Drawing attention to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the treaty provided a global tool to fight the ...
Environmental threat to Arctic. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... By the year 2050, up to 80 per cent of the ARCTIC would be affected by mining, oil exploration and other man-made impacts, if the industrialization of the wilderness areas continued at current rates, reported the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on ...
New substances may damage ozone. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... A range of new chemicals on the market replacing banned substances may have the potential to damage the ozone layer, reported UNEP in the wake of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer on 16 September. The 1987 Montreal Protocol does not ...
Save world fisheries. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Better management of marine ecosystems is immediately needed to address the decline in fishery resources and the increased demand for food, reported the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 21 September. Currently, 55 per cent of all fishery resources are fully ...
Weather extremes hit food production. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Heavy and extensive monsoon rains and floods have affected millions of people in East Asia, while three consecutive years of drought on the other end of the continent threatened the region's food production, reported FAO on 28 September. The worst affected countries ...
Malnutrition increases. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Most cities in developing countries face the prospect of increased malnutrition and health risks, warned FAO on 4 June. Around 50 per cent of the urban population in Africa and 40 per cent in Latin America live in poverty. In Calcutta, ...
Foreign direct investment flows to drop. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001 ... World flows of foreign direct investment are likely to decline 40 per cent--$760 billion--according to the World Investment Report 2001 of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The level of flows in 2001, however, is still expected to be higher than in 1998, as ...
Sub-Saharan Africa is poorer. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Sub-Saharan Africa is poorer than two decades ago because of declining aid, terms of trade, mounting debt and ineffective adjustment policies, according to an UNCTAD report. "Economic Development in Africa: Performance, Prospects and Policy Issues". It states that the region's ...
World's most unequal regions. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Latin America, Caribbean)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Latin America and the Caribbean did not improve income distribution during the 1990s and remain the "most unequal in the world", states a 26 September report by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Entitled "Social Panorama of Latin America 2000-2001", it reveals ...
New health measures against floods and drought. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The World Health Organization (WHO) on 4 September called for a series of measures in response to the health problems related to floods and droughts. Almost 2 billion people were affected by natural disasters in the 1990s, with floods and ...
Strategic response to hazards needed. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... On 10 October, the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed the need to implement a strategic response to natural hazards and underscored the importance of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, which aims ...
Efforts to cut maternal deaths. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Deaths associated with pregnancy and childbirth still affect more than 500,000 women a year in developing countries, WHO reported on 12 June. In sub-Saharan Africa, where maternal mortality is the highest, only about 40 per cent of women are likely to have an assisted delivery. Moreover, ...
Obstacles remain to Children's rights. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The United Nations CHILDREN'S Fund (UNICEF) on 13 September released The State of the World's Children 2002 report, in which it identified conflict, HIV/AIDS and poverty as the main obstacles in protecting children's rights. Although significant progress has been made, many goals of the ...
Needs of refugee children still unmet. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Despite progress in assisting refugee children separated from their families, the basic needs of many such children remain unmet, said Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 8 October. One key challenge is the lack of adequate human andfinancial resources to address identified needs ....
Indigenous people still discriminated. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Indigenous people in Guatemala still face racial, ethnic and cultural discrimination even though the Government had signed a human rights agreement, reported the UN Verification ...
Treaty against corruption. (UN Reported: News on the United Nations System at Work).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Ninety-five UN Member States have decided to forge a legally binding international convention against corruption, according to the Vienna UN Information Service on 3 August. The treaty would address many aspects of the problem, including preventive measures, criminalization, sanctions and ...
UN project nominated for Award. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS) was nominated on 19 September to receive a Stockholm Challenge AWARD for its support of rehabilitation efforts following the super cyclone that hit Orissa, India in 1999. It was nominated after an ...
Volunteers celebrate 30th anniversary. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The United Nations Volunteer Programme celebrated in New York on 21 June thirty years of work. Officials highlighted the agency's accomplishments and paid tribute to the more than 25,000 people who have served as UN volunteers ....
Code on managing disability at work. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The International Labour Organization (ILO) opened an expert meeting in Geneva on 3 October to finalize a code of practice on managing disability at the workplace. Unemployment among the world's 386 million disabled people of ...
Grant requests for torture victims rise. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Grant requests in 2001 to the UN Trust Fund for victims of torture totalled $1 million more than last year, a pattern seen for the past few years, according to a report released on 20 September. The Fund currently stands at $8 million, but is still far short of the $11 million requested by ...
First regional Summit of Women Mayors. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... More than 250 participants from 24 countries attended the first regional SUMMIT OF WOMEN MAYORS and Councilors, organized by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), other UN bodies and NGOs in Phitsanulok, Thailand on ...
Global Ambassador on Hunger. (And Other News of Interest).(World Food Programme)(George McGovern )(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Catherine Bertini on 19 October named former United States Senator George McGovern as its first GLOBAL AMBASSADOR ON HUNGER. In his new role, Mr. McGovern will act as the agency's worldwide advocate on hunger issues and promote programmes ...
Attitudes on ageing must evolve. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... As life expectancies continue to increase worldwide, policies and studies on ageing must be better integrated into development efforts, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on 1 October. By mid-century, the ratio of older people in society will double from one in ten persons to one in five ....
WIPO and WTO help poorest countries. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched a new initiative on 14 June to assist least developed countries (LDCs) in maximizing the benefits of intellectual property protection. The joint initiative emphasizes the importance of ...
Global AIDS Fund to be disbursed. (And Other News of Interest).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... As contributions to the Global AIDS and Health Fund, an initiative of the Secretary-General, poured in, the United Nations and its partners spent September and October finalizing the Fund's technical aspects to make it operational by the end of 2001. Starting with the founding contribution ...
UN guides receive new Italian designer outfits. (Passing By).(Brief Article)
Dec 01, 2001 ... Long considered the Organization's "ambassadors to the public", there are currently 60 tour guides representing 31 nationalities in the United Nations. The guides are now seen in their stylish new look since United Nations Day (24 October) by the tens of thousands of people who visit UN ...