United Nations Daily Highlights 96-09-13

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: [email protected]

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Friday, September 13, 1996

HEADLINES

• UN Secretary-General urges the United States Congressional Black Caucus Forum to help resolve conflicts in Africa.
• The government of Burundi lifts ban on political parties, agrees to restoration of the National Assembly.
• Plans are continuing to implement the oil-for-food agreement on Iraq.
• UN is unable to implement decisions of member States due to a lack of cash, UN/NGO Conference is told.
• Women must be placed at centre of efforts to increase food production, new report by UN Population Fund says.
• UNEP Conference to look at new environmental controls for toxic chemicals and pesticides.

The Secretary-General told the Congressional Caucus Forum that African- Americans are an inspiration to all who seek to live in liberty, dignity and justice.

Underlining the "rich contributions which African-Americans have made to the UN and to international diplomacy", the Secretary-General called on the Caucus to continue to be vocal on behalf of Africa and actively engage in the resolution of African conflicts before they escalate and exact a terrible toll on human life.

Dr. Boutros-Ghali paid a special tribute to late United States Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown who died in a plane crash earlier this year, noting that Mr. Brown "opened the eyes of the business community to profitable investments in Africa."

Highlighting the necessary conditions to place the talks on Burundi on track towards a peaceful solution, Mr. Fagui said the lifting of the ban on political parties was a move in the right direction.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has welcomed the "extremely positive steps" in Burundi. "As part of his continuing efforts to restore normality to Burundi, the Secretary-General has been in frequent contact with Major Buyoya and with many other individuals and parties in Burundi and the region," the Secretary-General's Spokesman Sylvana Foa said.

She said the Secretary-General remains fully committed to his efforts to restore stablility to the country and to the achievement of lasting national reconciliation.

He said the United Nations was constantly having to juggle its cash and was unable to implement the decisions of the Member States due to a lack of cash.

The representative of Canada stressed that the lack of funds was not due to Member States not affording the bill, but because they lacked the political will to pay.

The Conference heard that a change in the scale of Member States assessments had been agreed upon and would ensure an accurate reflection of the economic status of each country.

The report says women provide much of the food grown for home consumption in the developing world, but most countries do little to encourage women farmers. It argues that providing women with access to credit, markets and technical advice, as well as education and health care, could both improve the food supply of the world's poorest people and also relieve that poverty.

According to UNEP, many small farmers face a considerable risk of acute pesticide poisoning and chemicals and pesticides are harmful to humans, animals and ecosystems. The agency said cancer and birth defects are just two of the direct results of the use of chemicals.

From the United Nations home page at <http://www.un.org> - email: [email protected]

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