UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL A/48/1 10 September 1993 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Forty-eighth session REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION* September 1993 __________ * This is an advance version of the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization, which will be issued in printed form as Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 1 (A/48/1). 93-43614 (E) 160993 /... CONTENTS Paragraphs Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1 - 28 4 II. COORDINATING A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY ................ 29 - 116 8 A. Organs of the United Nations ..................... 29 - 101 8 B. Interim offices .................................. 102 - 106 20 C. Ensuring an adequate financial base .............. 107 - 114 20 D. Preparing for the fiftieth anniversary ........... 115 - 116 22 III. DEVELOPING THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY ...................... 117 - 275 28 A. Global development activities .................... 121 - 158 28 B. Operational activities for development ........... 159 - 203 35 C. Regional development activities .................. 204 - 249 43 D. Protection of human rights ....................... 250 - 275 50 IV. EXPANDING PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY, HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION ................... 276 - 509 56 A. Implementing an Agenda for Peace ................. 276 - 278 56 B. Preventive diplomacy ............................. 279 - 291 57 C. Peace-keeping in a changing context .............. 292 - 307 59 D. New departures in peace operations ............... 308 - 408 61 E. Major comprehensive efforts ...................... 409 - 455 80 F. Post-conflict peace-building ..................... 456 - 470 87 G. Disarmament ...................................... 471 - 479 90 H. The humanitarian imperative ...................... 480 - 509 91 V. CONCLUSION: STRENGTHENING THE HUMAN FOUNDATION ...... 510 - 514 103 LIST OF FIGURES 1. General Assembly: number of resolutions adopted and agenda items, 1989-1993 ................................................. 23 2. Security Council: number of formal meetings, resolutions adopted and statements by the President, 1988-1993 ....................... 24 3. Security Council: number of formal meetings and consultations of the whole, 1988-1993 ............................................. 25 CONTENTS (continued) Page 4. Estimated expenditures of the United Nations system by sector, 1992-1993, all sources of funds .................................. 26 5. Summary of contributions: regular budget and peace-keeping, as at 31 July 1993 ............................................... 27 6. Expenditures of funds and programmes administered by the United Nations Development Programme, 1982-1992 ......................... 54 7. Core resources of the United Nations Development Programme, 1982-1992 ........................................................ 55 8. Map: peace-keeping operations as at 31 July 1993 ................ 98 9. Civilian and military personnel in peace-keeping operations as at 30 June 1993 .................................................. 99 10. Internationally and locally recruited staff in peace-keeping missions ......................................................... 100 11. Total fatalities in peace-keeping operations since 1987 .......... 101 12. Civilian fatalities in peace-keeping missions since 1989 ......... 102 I. INTRODUCTION 1. A year ago the United Nations, its Member States and the peoples of the world recognized that a new opportunity had presented itself. The cold war being over, the United Nations could play the pivotal role in establishing world order and progress that had been assigned to it by the drafters of the Charter. 2. The past 12 months leave no doubt that the opportunity has been grasped in a positive way. The vast potential of the world Organization has been recognized and has begun to be employed in the establishment of a more stable world order: as a strengthened voice for the poorest countries, as deliverer of humanitarian relief, as guardian of human and minority rights, as rescuer of States in crisis and as an instrument for repairing a damaged global environment. In virtually every area, as the present report will show, there have been substantial achievements. But there have been serious set-backs and shortcomings as well. This mixed record is to be expected in view of the comprehensive agenda that we are facing, both in quantitative terms and in the light of its complexity. 3. Beyond the gains and losses inflicted by reality, however, troubling questions of will and purpose have been exposed. The pattern of the past 12 months displays three realities: the comprehensive nature of the global challenge, the indispensability of the United Nations and the gap that has been revealed as the demands of Member States on the Organization are not matched by the resources provided. 4. The comprehensive reality is most clearly revealed through three objectives: peace, development and democracy. They are interlocking and mutually reinforcing. 5. In mid-1992, in my report entitled "An Agenda for Peace", I discussed the need to view efforts for peace as a continuum over time. From preventive diplomacy to peacemaking and peace-keeping, to post-conflict peace-building, the cycle continues through perpetual rounds. Increasingly we have learned that working for peace provides us with no place of rest. 6. The past 12 months have demonstrated that peace operations involve interrelated functions. United Nations operations in the field, most prominently in Cambodia, El Salvador, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia, have had to range far beyond the accepted notion and definition of peace-keeping. Virtually every one of the departments and established functions of the United Nations may now be involved in operations for peace. The second generation of peace-keeping is certain to involve not only military but also political, economic, social, humanitarian and environmental dimensions, all in need of a unified and integrated approach. 7. Development is now understood to involve many dimensions; it is no longer merely a matter of economic policy and resources. Political, social, educational and environmental factors must be part of an integrated approach to development. Without development on the widest scale, the young will be restless, resentful and unproductive. People will fight for resources, and creativity will be misdirected. 8. A new, workable and widely agreed concept of development still eludes us. Until it is achieved, the United Nations will continue to face a sequence of conflicts. 9. There can be no flowering of development without the parallel advance of another key concept: democratization. Peace is a prerequisite to development; democracy is essential if development is to succeed over the long term. 10. The real development of a State must be based on the participation of its population; that requires human rights and democracy. To ensure such an achievement, democratization must not only take hold inside a State, but among States in the international community. And democracy within States can be fully sustained over time only if it is linked to expanding democratization among States and at all levels of the international system. 11. Without peace, there can be no development and there can be no democracy. Without development, the basis for democracy will be lacking and societies will tend to fall into conflict. And without democracy, no sustainable development can occur; without such development, peace cannot long be maintained. 12. And so it has become evident that three great concepts and priorities are interlinked, and they must be addressed at every level of human society. We can see in recent events the relationship between the individual, the State and the global society in which we all now participate. In the course of the modern era one or another of these three has tended to be the primary focus, to the relative neglect of the others. 13. At one time the individual was seen as having little need for State institutions. At other times the State has been exalted as the supreme object of human effort and sacrifice. And at still other times, the demise of the State has been predicted and an almost transcendental globalism has been promoted as the ultimate goal of life. We are fortunate today to see before us, in the theatre of history, a more integrated vision. The individual has been reaffirmed as the creative source of economic progress, political expression and artistic and intellectual achievement. States and their sovereignty are increasingly recognized as indispensable building-blocks of international order and problem-solving. Cooperative global integration is now an inescapable fact and requirement for all the world's peoples. This is anything but utopian; it is an effort to address compelling problems by practical methods, to produce the cooperative community that can manage global change. 14. The globalization now taking place requires a profoundly renewed concept of the State. Between the isolated individual and the world there must be an intermediate element, an organized community that enables the individual to participate in the life of the world. This element is the State and its national sovereignty. They respond to the need of all human beings for identification. In a world both impersonal and fragmented, such a need is greater than it ever has been in history. 15. Individuals find identity in nations. And nations should find identity in universalism. There is no international community if there are no nations. So the opposition between nationalism and globalization is to a large extent false. 16. In Chapter I of the Charter of the United Nations the founders proclaimed the intention "to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights ... of peoples". This is the foundation of a well-ordered internationalism. National sovereignty is the art of rendering unequal power equal. Without State sovereignty, the very instrument of international cooperation might be destroyed and international organization might itself become impossible. States are not the only actors in the international arena; they must be part of regional associations and global organizations. Together they provide the framework for collective security and cooperative progress. 17. Thus from every angle of vision, chronological, practical, functional, conceptual, individual and institutional, we come to one conclusion: humanity's project is now truly universal, and to cope with it we must fashion comprehensive and integral projects, policies and efforts. 18. The character of the challenges and realities I have outlined here makes it clear that the world Organization - the United Nations - is indispensable. Only the United Nations has the universal character, the global convening power and the extensive networks which cover virtually every international function in the service of all peoples. 19. As I have prepared this annual report on the work of the Organization, I have tried to do so in a way that reflects the comprehensive approach the times require. The sections proceed from the measures of coordination needed to strengthen the United Nations as an organization, to the development work of the Organization, to activities to strengthen societies against breakdown, to efforts to halt or contain conflict, to peace-keeping operations, and peacemaking efforts, to building for a stable future of peace. In the new United Nations all these aspects must be coordinated to bring them into a coherent mission. 20. I believe that this report provides a fair reflection of the work carried out by the various departments of the Secretariat and by other component parts of the United Nations system. If the work carried out in the economic and social sectors appears to be less focused than the work of the Organization in the fields of peace and security, this is, in my view, an inevitable consequence of the proliferation of intergovernmental bodies and organizations in the economic and social sectors and the lack of an effective coordinating mechanism. I invite further reflection on how that gap could be filled. 21. It will be evident, from the detailed contents of each section of this report, that the reach of the international community at this time exceeds its grasp. United Nations Forces increasingly find themselves thrust into areas of conflict where major Powers are not willing to venture themselves and are reluctant to make the hard choices posed by a new era of challenges to peace. And the United Nations is struggling to keep a focus on development when the poorest countries no longer hold the same interest for the rich as they did in the previous decades of ideological competition. 22. Yet, all too often, the eyes of the media are focused on some aspects of the Organization's work to the exclusion of others. As presented in the media, the work of the United Nations appears to centre around the multiple tasks of peace-keeping operations to the near exclusion of other activities. And as regards the media's concern with peace-keeping, the operations in Somalia and Bosnia and Herzegovina dominate reports. One of the aims of this annual report is to correct this distorted view of the Organization's work. Though activities for development may not be as glamorous as peace-keeping operations, they are just as important and, indeed, provide the foundations for global security and stability. Nor are some peace-keeping operations more important than others. The United Nations attaches equal importance to all conflicts. 23. Global organizations, and especially the United Nations, are being called upon to do a growing share of the public's international work. But it must always be remembered that the Member States are the motive and supporting force of the world Organization. Clearly, the United Nations cannot resolve the major problems on the international agenda in the absence of the political will, sufficient support and continuing commitment which each particular endeavour requires. 24. The achievements of the past year vastly outweigh the set-backs. Common concern has become more evident and effectively expressed. The readiness to rely upon the United Nations is heartening and gives reason for growing hope that the world Organization will fulfil its original purpose and, beyond that, prove able to adapt to the new challenges of this changing time in history. It is my hope that this annual report, by examining each area of action with a careful eye, will help to reveal the areas which require far greater effort by the Member States and by the United Nations system itself. 25. Thus while recent accomplishments deserve great credit, they do not provide a sense of true satisfaction. The United Nations renaissance remains in question. The international community stands at a turning-point. There is an undeniable disparity between the vision and the reality. This must be faced squarely by the States Members of the world Organization and the peoples they represent. This report should serve as a stimulus to greater realism, engagement, effort and political creativity. All are essential if the present turning-point is to lead to a successful next stage in shaping the common future. 26. This is the longest report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly on the work of the Organization in many years. Yet it still does not do justice to the myriad activities undertaken by the United Nations in the course of the past year. The necessary reform of the Organization's Secretariat has been added to the multiplication of tasks and the emergence of new functions demanded by the Member States. This annual report attempts to reflect the activities of the United Nations in as factual and comprehensive a manner as possible, yet a detailed catalogue of our work would require a report two or three times the size. This report should therefore be seen as an attempt to indicate to the Member States the scope and size of the tasks faced by the Organization in the previous year. In view of the growth in our responsibilities, a burden that we willingly accept, the annual report has grown in size and detail. 27. My hope is that the report does justice to the men and women who have, in the course of the year, given their time and effort in the service of the United Nations. The end of the cold war offers a valuable opportunity to revitalize the international civil service. In this connection, the General Assembly may wish to consider whether some personnel rules should be revised and whether the conditions of service should be improved to attract the best qualified candidates, particularly at the senior level, to serve in the Organization. I would like to see a system that rewards achievement while insisting on accountability for inadequate performance. 28. By presenting a comprehensive overview of the work of the United Nations, I wish also to underscore the competence, dedication and industry of the staff of the Organization, who have continued to give of their best while their workload has increased substantially. I pay tribute to the men and women who strive to tackle some of the world's most intractable problems with energy and creativity, sometimes paying with their lives, and who seek to bring the world closer to the promise of our Charter. "To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends". Charter of the United Nations, Article 1, paragraph 4 II. COORDINATING A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY A. Organs of the United Nations 29. The world is being changed by powerful forces that no State, or even group of States, has the capacity to manage by itself. The United Nations, as an Organization, is therefore embarking on a programme of far-reaching reform to enable it truly to become the instrument of world peace and development which its founders envisioned half a century ago. No organ of the United Nations can fail to be affected by this far-reaching reform process. 1. General Assembly 30. The General Assembly is playing an increasingly practical role in world activities. Its workload has remained consistently heavy over the past four sessions, with expanding activities in some areas. The total number of meetings held by the Assembly, its General Committee and Main Committees each year from the forty-fourth to the forty-seventh sessions has remained fairly constant: 436, 412, 418 and 420, respectively. However, the number of meetings held by working groups of the plenary and of the Main Committees during the same period showed a sharp increase. During the forty-fourth session, working groups met 52 times; during the forty-seventh session, they met 77 times. The number of informal meetings held by the Main Committees grew in even more dramatic proportions: from 193 during the forty-fourth session to 313 during the forty-seventh session. 31. Although the number of resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during this period decreased, resolutions were increasingly adopted without a vote or by consensus. During the forty-seventh session, out of 295 resolutions, 75 per cent were adopted without a vote; by comparison, during the forty-fourth session, out of 336 resolutions, only 65 per cent were adopted without a vote (see figure 1). 32. The expanding role of the United Nations in the area of peace-keeping was reflected in the activities of the General Assembly. The number of agenda items dealing with the financing of peace-keeping and other field operations more than doubled between the forty-fourth and the forty-seventh sessions, from 6 to 14. 33. From the forty-fourth to the forty-seventh sessions, the participation of Heads of State and Government in the general debates of the General Assembly increased from 14 to 21 per cent. During that same period, the number of Members of the United Nations increased from 159 to 184. 34. During the main part of its forty-seventh session, the General Assembly considered a wide variety of issues. The resolutions adopted concerned, inter alia, the convening of an international peace conference on Somalia, specific actions regarding the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and follow-up action to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The Assembly commended the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction, which has thus far been signed by 148 Member States. The General Assembly requested Member States to submit their views on a possible review of the membership of the Security Council. The Assembly also decided, as a first step in rationalizing its work, to reduce its Main Committees from seven to six. 35. The work of the General Assembly could be further streamlined. It should be noted that many resolutions, particularly but not exclusively those affecting the economic and social areas, do not address policy issues, but are in the nature of work programme decisions (taking note of a report and requesting the Secretary-General to prepare another report). I suggest that in the interests of efficiency the resolution format be reserved for General Assembly actions that address policy matters and formulate recommendations for action by Member States and the international community. A simpler format could then be adopted for work-programme decisions in the economic and social areas. This system would also bring some order of priority to the agenda of the General Assembly. The agenda is also in need of some rationalization. For example, nine items on the agenda of the forty-seventh session were not discussed at all. 36. I should also like to suggest that, in view of the thousands of documents produced at the United Nations each year, Member States carefully review the need for every report. There are many documents requested by the General Assembly on a recurrent basis that add little or no useful information to the report of the previous year. 2. Security Council 37. In response to the new challenges to international peace and security that have come in the wake of the cold war, the Security Council has informally developed new working patterns even as calls have come for changes in its formal structure. In effect - in contrast to years past when sessions were clearly delineated in time and topic - the Council has found itself meeting almost continuously. During the period from 1 January 1992 to 31 August 1993, the Security Council held 359 sessions of consultations of the whole, totalling some 428 hours. In addition, the Council held 247 formal meetings, adopted 137 resolutions and issued 144 statements by the President (see figures 2 and 3). What has emerged is a pattern of operations akin to that of a task force dealing with situations as they arise, on an almost continuing basis. 38. As a result of these changes, the Security Council is now able to follow more closely, and in a more consistent manner than before, the variety of security threats around the world. But new problems have arisen too. It has become clear that immediate operations dealing urgently with crises around the world need to be supported by a more comprehensive understanding of the array of current challenges. I therefore favour the proposal that periodic sessions of the Council be held at the ministerial level. Informal consultations should be punctuated by more formal meetings in order both to inform, and to seek support from, the wider circle of Member States. And communications with other elements of the world Organization should be improved. 39. The Security Council is in the process of rationalizing its documentation and other procedures, while making its workings more transparent. In this regard, I welcome the decisions to make available to all Member States the tentative forecast of the programme of work of the Security Council for each month, and also to review the list of matters of which the Council is seized with a view to rationalizing it. 40. Pursuant to the request by the General Assembly in resolution 47/62 of 11 December 1992, I invited Member States to submit written comments on a possible review of the membership of the Security Council. Proposals warranting serious study are now on the table. The question of the Security Council's membership structure is of crucial importance, and I look forward to the issue being resolved by the time of the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization. 3. Economic and Social Council 41. The Economic and Social Council is perhaps the organ of the United Nations that received the least attention during the years of the cold war. With economic and social development firmly set as goals in their own right, but also viewed as necessary preconditions for lasting global peace and security, it seems clear that the Council must receive greater attention. 42. In my address to the Economic and Social Council at the high-level segment of its substantive session of 1993, at Geneva on 30 June, I stressed once again the importance of the Council. I also repeated a proposal that I first made last year: the Council should be invited to provide to the Security Council reports on situations in the economic and social areas which, in its opinion, constitute threats to international peace and security. I also recalled my suggestion that the Council introduce a flexible, high-level intersessional mechanism to respond in a timely way to new developments. I noted that these proposals had not received serious attention. I take this opportunity to reiterate them. 43. Following discussions during the high-level segment of the substantive session of 1992 of the Economic and Social Council, an ad hoc working group of the Council on enhancing international cooperation for development: the role of the United Nations was established by the President of the Council. Its aim was to complete consultations before the forty-seventh session of the General Assembly and thus to maintain the momentum of the discussions held during the high-level segment. I made available to the Assembly the position papers submitted by delegations or groups of delegations to the ad hoc working group, as well as a compendium of position papers prepared by the secretariat of the Economic and Social Council. 44. At the forty-seventh session, the President of the General Assembly established a second open-ended ad hoc working group of the plenary on agenda item 47 (Restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields) to continue discussions. The working group held meetings over a period of several months. Negotiations covered a number of significant issues, including the membership and composition of executive boards of United Nations programmes and funds and the financing of operational activities for development. The results of the group's work were officially presented to the President of the Assembly at a plenary meeting on 25 June 1993, immediately before the substantive session of 1993 of the Economic and Social Council. I am sorry to have to report that the negotiations stalled, and that no action was taken at the meeting. 45. At the substantive session of 1993 of the Economic and Social Council some progress was made towards reorienting the Council's work to the coordination of the United Nations system. At the high-level segment discussions devoted to the World Summit for Social Development, the contribution of the United Nations system to social development received considerable attention. Concern was expressed that the system should both be unified and function coherently. A number of participants expressed disappointment at the stalling of the talks aimed at restructuring the Economic and Social Council. 46. I remain hopeful that the efforts and good will of Member States in pursuing the revitalization of the Economic and Social Council and the streamlining of the responsibilities of the General Assembly and the Council will come to fruition. This is a window of opportunity for the world community, a chance that may not recur. The process of revitalizing the work of the United Nations in the economic and social fields, must be put back on track. I appeal to Member States to do all they can to that end. 47. In the aftermath of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held at Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992, it has become clear that Agenda 21 is the first international agreement expressing a global consensus and a political commitment at the highest levels to action on population, environment and economic advance, encompassed in a programme of sustainable development. The Conference challenged Governments to adopt long-term policies on matters of the environment and sustainable development that affect human well-being and survival. It further tested the willingness of nations to cooperate in developing global strategies for the sustainable use of resources. 48. Following the Rio de Janeiro Conference, all United Nations agencies and bodies were required to contribute to system-wide efforts for the realization of sustainable development, and to support Governments in translating sustainable development policy into action. Agenda 21 was endorsed by the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session. 49. The Commission on Sustainable Development held its first substantive session at Headquarters from 14 to 25 June 1993. Interest in the Commission has been amply demonstrated by the active way in which Governments have sought election to membership of the Commission, by the number of ministers who attended the high-level segment of its first session and by the approximately 700 non-governmental organizations that have obtained accreditation to it. The session clearly revealed the strong determination of all parties involved, despite unfavourable prevailing economic and financial circumstances, to carry out the commitments made at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. 50. This positive tone was echoed in the support expressed at the meeting of the Heads of Government of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (the "Tokyo Summit") in July 1993, both for the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development and for the other processes recommended by the Rio de Janeiro Conference. 51. A new Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development has been formed to ensure effective cooperation following the Rio de Janeiro Conference. The governing bodies of the various agencies and programmes have taken steps to reflect the decisions of the Conference in their work. 52. The High-level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development provides advice to the Secretary-General and, through him, to the Commission on Sustainable Development and other relevant United Nations bodies. I have appointed its 21 members and expect the Board to hold its first meeting in September, just prior to the opening of the General Assembly. The follow-up work to the Rio de Janeiro Conference is discussed in section III of the present report. 4. Trusteeship Council 53. The Trusteeship Council, in accordance with Article 86 of the Charter, is composed of five Member States (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America). Under the terms of Articles 83 and 87 of the Charter, the function of the Trusteeship Council is to assist the Security Council or the General Assembly in carrying out their responsibilities with respect to the International Trusteeship System. For more than 45 years, the Council has fulfilled its responsibilities, reviewing the situation in and dispatching regular visiting missions to Trust Territories. This year, Palau remains the only entity under the Trusteeship Agreement of 1947. 54. At its sixtieth session in May 1993, the Trusteeship Council noted that the leadership of Palau wishes to end the trusteeship at an early date and had therefore decided to hold a plebiscite - the eighth - on the Compact of Free Association with the United States of America. The plebiscite, originally scheduled for July 1993, was postponed and is now scheduled, by Executive Order of the President of Palau, to take place on 9 November 1993. 5. International Court of Justice 55. The International Court of Justice at The Hague, one of the principal organs of the United Nations under Article 7 of the Charter and, in accordance with Article 92, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has, in the past few years, experienced a clear increase in contentious cases as opposed to advisory opinions. In 1993, the Court had before it a record number of 12 cases, involving States from nearly every region of the world. 56. In the reporting period, judgement has been given in two cases, and in a third case an Order indicating provisional measures of protection has been made in record time, and hearings have been held on the merits of two other cases. Voluminous written pleadings have been filed within the prescribed time-limits in the other cases. 57. In September 1992, a Chamber of the Court, after considering some of the most extensive pleading, both written and oral, ever presented by Parties, gave Judgment in the case Land, Island and Maritime Frontier Dispute (El Salvador/Honduras: Nicaragua intervening), in which the complex and varied issues in dispute would have amply justified up to eight separate cases. In its Judgment the Chamber drew the boundary line for each of six disputed sectors of the land boundary. It also decided on the legal situation of the islands in the Gulf of Fonseca, the legal rights to the waters of the Gulf of Fonseca, the waters outside the Gulf and the effect of the Judgment for the intervening State, Nicaragua. 58. The full Court, at the end of March and beginning of April 1993, dealt with Bosnia and Herzegovina's request for the indication of provisional measures of protection at the same time that Bosnia and Herzegovina instituted proceedings against Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) in the case Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro)). 59. As soon as possible after receiving the request and turning down a request for postponement, the Court held a hearing at which both Parties presented their observations. One week later, on 8 April 1993, the Court issued its Order, in which it called upon the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) "immediately [to] take all measures within its power to prevent commission of the crime of genocide". The Court also ordered that both Parties should ensure that no action is taken which might "aggravate or extend the existing dispute over the prevention or punishment of the crime of genocide, or render it more difficult of solution". In a further Order, the President of the Court fixed time-limits for the subsequent written procedure on the merits. 60. The Court in late August 1993 held hearings on a second request from Bosnia and Herzegovina and a request from Yugoslavia for the indication of provisional measures in the same case. 61. Hearings in the case Maritime Delimitation in the Area between Greenland and Jan Mayen (Denmark v. Norway) were held in January 1993. The Court delivered a Judgment on the merits on 14 June 1993, in which it observed that the continental shelf and fishery zones are two separate and conceptually distinct zones for delimitation purposes. It noted, however, that the task for the Court, under the law applicable to the delimitation of either zone, is to achieve an "equitable solution". The Court, in its Judgment, divided the area of the overlapping claims into three zones and drew the delimitation line in each of these zones. 62. The day of the reading of the Judgment in this case was also the opening day of the hearings in the case Territorial Dispute (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya/Chad), which the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Chad have presented to the Court by virtue of a special agreement. After five weeks of hearings, the Court is at present deliberating its decision in that case. 63. New cases have kept the docket crowded. Cases on the Court's list during 1993, other than those referred to above, are: (a) Aerial Incident of 3 July 1988 (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America). (b) Certain Phosphate Lands in Nauru (Nauru v. Australia). (c) East Timor (Portugal v. Australia). (d) Maritime Delimitation between Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. (e) Maritime Delimitation and Territorial Questions between Qatar and Bahrain. (f) Questions of Interpretation and Application of the 1971 Montreal Convention arising from the Aerial Incident at Lockerbie (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya v. United Kingdom). (g) Questions of Interpretation and Application of the 1971 Montreal Convention arising from the Aerial Incident at Lockerbie (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya v. United States of America). (h) Oil Platforms (Islamic Republic of Iran v. United States of America). (i) Gabcikovo-Nagyamaros Project (Hungary/Slovakia). 64. The incidence of cases of considerable political as well as legal importance shows that the Court exists not only to settle questions of law, but is also an integral part of United Nations peace efforts. Seen in this context, the contentious and advisory jurisdictions of the Court are seen to be complementary. It is the role of the Court as an important component of the peacemaking apparatus of the United Nations as a whole that moved me to recommend, in "An Agenda for Peace", that the Secretary-General might be authorized to take advantage of the advisory competence of the Court. 65. Under article 26, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, a seven-member Chamber for Environmental Matters has been established. The members of the Chamber were elected by secret ballot to serve for an initial term of six months as at 6 August 1993. 66. There is at present a tendency to proliferate the number of international tribunals: for example, there are proposals for various regional tribunals, and for tribunals to deal with environmental disputes, with human rights issues and with the law of the sea. It should be borne in mind that an essential feature of international law is that it is a single and universal system. Accordingly, if specialized tribunals are to be created, it may be necessary to establish a common system for referrals of questions of law to the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. 6. Secretariat 67. The Secretariat will continue to address the challenge of strengthening the Organization's ability to manage the 29 peace-keeping and other field missions. Action has already been taken to establish a clearer definition of the respective responsibilities of the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peace-keeping Operations with regard to these operations. The continuing effort during the coming year will involve enhancing planning activities through greater coordination among departments, improving budgetary planning and financial operations, invigorating structures for audit, investigation and programme evaluation, introducing a comprehensive staffing plan and ensuring the security and safety of staff in the field. Efforts will be made to develop more standardized, systematic, expeditious and cost-effective means of planning, launching, managing and terminating peace-keeping operations in a changing environment. 68. Significant improvements have been made by the introduction of new computerized systems for field-related budget processing, accounting, procurement and inventory control; the enhanced delegation of administrative authority to the missions; the development of an integrated support service in the field to facilitate the interfacing of military and civilian components; and the establishment of new procedures for the staffing of field missions and field-related training. 69. Given the extraordinary demands placed on the system by the large number of requests for the United Nations to establish and maintain peacemaking and peace-keeping operations, and given the importance of deploying to the field experienced United Nations staff for key administrative positions in general administration, personnel, finance and procurement, the current shortage of experienced senior administrators familiar with United Nations policies and procedures available for assignment to these field missions will be addressed as a matter of priority. 70. I paid a tribute, in my introduction to this annual report, to the staff of the United Nations. No attempt to restructure the Secretariat will succeed unless it takes into account its most important asset, the staff. I am increasingly impressed by the dedication and professionalism of the Secretariat staff. In this period of expansion and restructuring, the commitment of staff members to the ideals of the United Nations, their willingness to work long hours under difficult conditions of service, and their flexibility to adapt to a variety of new conditions allow us to continue the day-to-day work of the Organization. 71. In the course of the year, more than 1,200 members of the staff - both Professional and General Service employees - have volunteered to serve on United Nations peace missions. Such missions frequently entail a high degree of danger and stress. Many of the functions previously carried out by these staff members have had to be borne by employees remaining at Headquarters, who thus have had to carry an even greater burden. I take this opportunity to restate my commitment to the improvement of conditions of service for all of our staff members, particularly with respect to personal security, salaries and career development opportunities. 72. Whether assigned to field missions or to other mandated programmes, the staff must be given the tools to make this an efficient and modern Organization. I am determined that training, which has been neglected in the past (when compared to other international organizations or national services), be given the place it deserves in management. The proposed programme budget for the next biennium reflects this concern. A comprehensive programme of management training, designed to develop leadership and managerial capacity within the Secretariat, has been launched with a series of management seminars for all director-level staff which will later be extended to other management levels. 73. Improving and updating the skills of the Organization's staff is a significant step. Attracting talented and qualified candidates to join the Organization is another means of ensuring that it will be able to respond to the challenges of the 1990s. Although regular long-term recruitment has been suspended owing to the requirements of restructuring and streamlining, national competitive examinations have provided an excellent tool for selecting the best talent available in a given country for junior Professional positions. Nineteen countries will be asked to provide candidates for these examinations in 1993, compared with 12 in 1992. The filling of posts earmarked for these examinations has been exempted from the temporary suspension of recruitment. 74. I intend to seek to improve the geographical distribution of posts and also to secure an input of fresh talent into the Organization. These are important considerations in the efficient management of the human resources of the United Nations. Equally important, we must ensure that men and women can serve in conditions of equality. 75. A major effort is under way to advance the standing of women in the Organization, especially in senior-level positions. Although it is recognized that this is a long-term process, the policy is already producing tangible results. Guidelines on sexual harassment were issued during the past year as an important part of this general effort. It is also necessary to develop honourable and fair procedures to terminate the services of those staff members whose performance has failed to fulfil the promise of earlier years. 76. To train staff, to promote equality between men and women, and to select top-quality candidates from Member States are three key components of my efforts to increase the efficiency of the Organization. Yet if the conditions of service do not remain competitive, the Organization will lose some of its best elements. 77. During 1993, it became clear from work carried out by the Administrative Committee on Coordination that conditions of service of the United Nations are steadily deteriorating. They are losing their competitiveness in outside labour markets and vis-ŕ-vis other international organizations. The General Assembly itself acknowledged that salary levels in a number of other international organizations outside the common system are higher than those of the United Nations. It is paradoxical that this should be happening at a time when many new demands are being placed on United Nations staff. At the request of the Committee, this concern is being brought to the attention of Member States and the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC). I have therefore decided to study with the Committee and ICSC ways to make compensation and conditions of service competitive. I hope that, as a result of these studies, the Administrative Committee on Coordination and ICSC will present specific recommendations to improve the conditions of service of the United Nations staff by the time of the next substantive consideration of these issues at the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly in 1994. 78. In this context, I must again stress the importance of a genuinely integrated, geographically balanced, independent international civil service of the highest calibre providing Member States with effective and integrated support. As part of my efforts to reinvigorate the international civil service, to preserve the integrity and independence of the staff, and to enhance career opportunities, I have been studying a new approach to higher echelon appointments. Taking into account the views of Member States as reflected in General Assembly resolution 47/212 B, I intend to make proposals about the senior structure of the Organization during the forty-eighth session of the Assembly in the context of my submission on high-level posts in the proposed programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995. 79. In conjunction with streamlining in the administrative area, internal controls and audit mechanisms have been strengthened in 1993 as requested by Member States in different forums. Improvements involve better documentation of internal controls, follow-up on audit recommendations, whether external or internal, review of the staffing of the Division responsible for internal audits, and better planning of audit coverage. Improved internal controls will bring greater managerial accountability, which is crucial for more efficient organization. 80. In August 1993 I announced the creation of a new post of Assistant Secretary-General for Inspections and Investigations. The incumbent will head an independent Office for Inspections and Investigations that will incorporate various units dealing with audit, management advisory services, evaluation and monitoring, currently within the Department of Administration and Management. The new Assistant Secretary-General will report directly to me and will work closely with the Under-Secretary-General for Administration and Management. This appointment is the first step towards the establishment of a higher level post with broader audit, evaluation and investigation authority. 81. With the implementation of the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), greater monitoring and audit capabilities will be available through electronic audit trails than ever before. IMIS is a major step in standardizing and rationalizing the management process in the Organization across duty stations. The Organization will be able, for the first time, to have access to timely, up-to-date and comprehensive information on its resources and their utilization. The use of IMIS by other programmes and organizations in the United Nations system could also promote greater transparency and compatibility of information across organizations, leading to standardization in administrative matters. 82. The heightened role of the United Nations as a focus for multilateral international dialogue has intensified the demand for conference services in the Secretariat. The enhanced activity of the Security Council and its subsidiary bodies, the establishment of a number of new intergovernmental or expert organs, and the increasing practice of holding formal meetings and informal consultations concurrently led to an increase of over 10 per cent in conference-servicing workloads in 1992 and to even higher projections for 1993. Despite the provisions of General Assembly resolution 41/213 of 19 December 1986 on limiting conference activities, the number of meetings, both those scheduled in the approved calendar of conferences and those unforeseen, has continued to increase. 83. To the extent possible, the challenge has been met with measures to enhance productivity in conference services, mainly through the introduction of more advanced technology and coordination with substantive secretariats. The need to contain conference-servicing costs has, however, caused some interpretation and documentation services to be curtailed. 84. Reliance on automation to increase individual productivity is not limited to conference services. Most areas of the Secretariat are undergoing significant changes in this respect. There is greater reliance on a global network of computers and telecommunications that are being upgraded. 85. Together with the reform of management practice, steps are being taken to enhance the effectiveness of the economic and social sectors of the Organization. In my statement to the General Assembly on 2 November 1992, at the opening of the debate on the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, I spoke of the need to rebuild "a unity of purpose for the economic, social and environmental sectors of the Organization" as one of the key objectives of my efforts. 86. In furtherance of that objective, my aim has been to define the functions of the various parts of the Organization and to determine how those functions can most effectively be carried out by the Organization itself and within the United Nations system of specialized agencies and institutions. The core of my managerial strategy has been to secure a more rational distribution of responsibilities between Headquarters and the United Nations centres at Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna, as well as among global, regional and field structures. This should provide a clearer sense of purpose for each of the United Nations programmes and sharpen the substantive focus of each of the centres. Clear lines of responsibility in a simpler structure, together with steps to eliminate duplication and overlapping, will greatly improve coordination. 87. Two broad principles govern my approach to the distribution of responsibilities between Headquarters and other parts of the economic and social structures of the Organization. The first is that responsibility for each sector or set of issues coming within the purview of the United Nations should, to the extent possible, be clearly assigned to, and the necessary critical mass for dealing with them concentrated in, a single unit or entity within the Secretariat, without duplication and as part of an organization-wide strategy. The second, related, requirement, is that the provision of substantive support for central intergovernmental bodies should be regarded as a priority activity for all economic, social and environmental entities of the United Nations in their respective sectors, coordinated from Headquarters. Conversely, Headquarters capacities on cross-sectoral issues should be placed at the disposal, and help to orient the deliberations, not only of the central intergovernmental organs, but also of the governing and other intergovernmental bodies in each of the entities away from Headquarters. 88. In proceeding to the second phase of restructuring on the basis of these guidelines, I took careful account of the experience gained in the first phase, which I initiated shortly after taking office early in 1992. A key element of that phase was the establishment in New York of a single Department of Economic and Social Development. I saw this as a first step, in order to create new synergies among the three pillars of Headquarters work: system-wide coordination and policy guidance, research, analysis and studies on important global economic and social issues, and technical cooperation activities in developing countries. This initial phase of the restructuring would prepare the ground for a second phase encompassing all of the economic and social sectors of the Organization. 89. The process of restructuring the work, and often the offices, of over 1,000 people employed in the economic and social fields at Headquarters placed considerable demands on the staff. In the face of these challenges, the consolidated Department of Economic and Social Development was nevertheless able to bring about fruitful synergies between the operational staff on the one hand, and the research and analysis staff on the other, bringing fresh perspectives and new energy to a number of areas of work. 90. In the light of this experience, and taking into account the work of a high-level panel of advisers and discussions in the General Assembly, I took steps in December 1992 that constitute a second phase of the reform effort in the economic and social sectors of the United Nations. These steps entailed the creation of three new departments focusing, respectively, on policy coordination and sustainable development, economic and social information and policy analysis, and development support and management services. 91. As a result, the balance at Headquarters between Secretariat structures in the political, humanitarian, economic and social fields has improved. Organizational units now have clear and distinct terms of reference and clear lines of responsibility, and services to central intergovernmental bodies have been improved and integrated. In addition, there is now a greater capacity in terms of data and statistical support for national as well as international policy-making, and technical cooperation is more focused. 92. The redeployment to New York, in the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, of the relevant functions and activities of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs at Vienna and the World Food Council secretariat in Rome should enhance the capacity of the United Nations for coherent policy development and provide more effective and better coordinated substantive support to central intergovernmental bodies. Overall, these measures will result in a more integrated approach to development. 93. The dispersion of different aspects of United Nations activities in the closely interrelated areas of trade, finance, investment, technology and services inevitably diluted the impact of these activities. The consolidation of these activities in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development will eliminate these overlaps and create a broader base for enhancing the quality of substantive support provided to the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations and the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, as well as to the Trade and Development Board and its subsidiary bodies. In addition, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme located at the United Nations Office at Nairobi have been placed under common management. This will facilitate synergies among the two programmes and result in some savings. 94. In 1993, the United Nations Office at Geneva has had to address and resolve a twin problem of substance and structure. A key priority has been to improve the management of the Office and its responsiveness to new demands, particularly in United Nations operational activities. Within the United Nations Office at Vienna, the United Nations International Drug Control Programme is responsible for confronting the crucial problems of crime and drugs. The United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, also within the United Nations Office at Vienna, has concentrated on direct support of Governments through technical cooperation activities and training. I take this opportunity to restate my commitment to maintaining Vienna as one of the principal United Nations centres. 95. The Administrative Committee on Coordination plays a crucial role in providing a sense of unity of purpose for the United Nations system as a whole. I have therefore paid particular attention to that Committee, of which I am Chairman. A thorough review of the workings of the Committee and its subsidiary structure was undertaken this year. 96. In the first instance, the functioning of the Administrative Committee on Coordination was reviewed and a series of guidelines agreed upon. I intend to submit to the Committee for discussion any programme or proposal, of a general or system-wide nature, whose significance or content seem to me to require prior consultation with the agencies concerned and their subsequent cooperation in follow-up and implementation. I shall keep the Economic and Social Council fully apprised of the outcome of these consultations. 97. The executive heads, as members of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, for their part undertook to carry out the necessary consultations within the framework of the Committee when launching, on their own initiative, any operation - such as the organization of an international or world conference on a subject that involves the mandates and interests of a number of United Nations organizations - the implementation of which will require contributions by several or all of the members of the Committee. They also agreed to inform their deliberative organs of major impending initiatives within the United Nations system of particular relevance to their organizations or in which their organizations are expected to participate. 98. The complexity of the subsidiary structures of the Administrative Committee on Coordination has been greatly reduced. The new structures of the Committee are centred around two consultative committees - the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions and the Consultative Committee on Programme and Operational Questions - and on the new Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development. The new structures will provide a forum in which policy issues affecting system-wide aspects of the management of human and financial resources can be discussed in a coordinated fashion. They will also allow closer interaction between policies and operations. They reflect the importance of the concept of sustainable development as an integrating framework for the activities of the system. 99. I am convinced that the commitments I have outlined, together with the new spirit prevailing in the Administrative Committee on Coordination and the specific reforms which have been introduced, will greatly enhance inter-agency cooperation in support of development. 100. At the same time, I must remind Member States that they, too, have a responsibility to help to improve coordination within the system. These responsibilities must be exercised at two levels. First, at the level of the central intergovernmental bodies within the United Nations itself, Member States must develop system-wide strategies and policies and provide effective guidelines for the work of the secretariats represented in the Administrative Committee on Coordination. My earlier remarks on the reform of the Economic and Social Council are relevant in this context. 101. Second, Member States must take coherent and consistent positions in the governing bodies of the various organizations. One glaring example of their failure to do so hitherto is the persistence of differences in the conditions of service adopted by Member States for the international staff serving in the Bretton Woods institutions on the one hand, and the rest of the system on the other. Further examples of divergent policy directives exist throughout the spectrum of substantive and operational issues before the various governing bodies. The Administrative Committee on Coordination stands ready to do its part to help to overcome these differences and to adopt mutually reinforcing policy stances throughout the system. B. Interim offices 102. I undertook in my last annual report to focus attention on activities in the field and to bring greater unity to the United Nations presence at the country level. I have established interim offices in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. My aim has been the creation of an integrated approach to the provision of the services that the United Nations system can offer, and the coordination of inter-agency activities in response to the requirements of Member States. Consultations on the establishment of integrated offices are currently under way in Cambodia, Eritrea and the Russian Federation. 103. These measures are intended to facilitate access to the United Nations system for Member States, especially newly independent States and other States in transition, that wish to seek its assistance in various areas of activity. They are also intended to improve the capacity of the United Nations to respond appropriately to the specific socio-economic, environmental, political and humanitarian requirements of such countries. 104. The interim offices have already begun to play an effective role in responding to the needs of their host Governments, both in development activities and in supporting the transition process that these countries are undergoing. The interim offices have facilitated the Organization's humanitarian and emergency relief activities. In those countries where I have been given a mandate to help to resolve actual or potential conflicts, the interim offices have been of great value as a channel of communication with the Government concerned and as an instrument for the dissemination of information about the United Nations. 105. In all these activities, the interim offices have succeeded in strengthening the image of the United Nations as an integrated system whose component parts are able to work together, in support of host Governments, in response to the special and urgent requirements of countries in transition. This has been achieved with the full cooperation and assistance of the funds, programmes and offices of the United Nations system. The Administrative Committee on Coordination has welcomed my decision to work for a more unified field presence. The representatives of some of the specialized agencies, which are not yet taking part in these arrangements, have indicated a wish to be associated with them. 106. In devising a new model for United Nations representation in those countries, it is not my intention to disturb or replace existing mechanisms for coordination. On the contrary, the intention is to build on what has already been achieved. I intend to apply to other countries, as needed, the approach that is evolving in the countries where interim offices have been established. My aim is to develop a more effective, unified United Nations presence at the country level. C. Ensuring an adequate financial base 107. The conjunction of the persistent difficulties of a number of Member States in meeting their financial obligations and the unprecedented level of expenditures for mandated activities (see figure 4) is expected to cause major financial difficulties for the Organization by the autumn of 1993. 108. The unprecedented growth in the demand for the services of the United Nations has stretched financial resources to the breaking-point. In January 1993, assessed contributions payable by Member States amounted, in rounded figures, to $1.6 billion for the regular budget. The cost of peace-keeping missions is expected to rise from $1.4 billion in 1992 to an estimated $3.6 billion by the end of 1993 (see figure 5). 109. I must report with great concern and deep regret that, owing to the failure of many Member States to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time, the cash flow situation, with regard both to the regular budget and to United Nations peace-keeping operations, remains critical. As of 26 August 1993, only seven Member States had paid their assessed contributions to the regular budget and peace-keeping operations in full. 110. If this pattern continues, the regular budget will need to borrow internally from other funds as from September 1993. Several peace-keeping operations have experienced severe cash shortages. In order to be able to respond to the needs of these operations, temporary advances have had to be made from the Peace-keeping Reserve Fund which was established by the General Assembly in resolution 47/217 of 23 December 1992. In order to meet its various other obligations, including the payment of salaries, the Organization had to resort to a variety of short-term measures such as borrowing from funds having available cash. 111. The proposed programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995 will be considered by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. It proposes a modest growth of 1 per cent in the level of resources, primarily in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peace operations, peace-building, human rights and the coordination of humanitarian assistance. This programme budget reflects the interest of Member States in strengthening these activities. It is my hope that all Member States will reach broad agreement and adopt this programme budget by consensus as they have done in the last several bienniums. 112. On 2 August 1993, with total cash reserves sufficient for less than two months of operations, I decided to send an urgent letter to the Heads of State and Government of Security Council members and of all Member States with outstanding contributions, outlining the gravity of the financial situation. I stated that the financial situation was so precarious that it threatened the capacity of the Organization to finance new undertakings, and that even existing operations would be in jeopardy. On 26 August I told the Fifth Committee that the Organization's cash flow situation had become so serious that I had been compelled to take economy measures affecting conference services, including the servicing of the Security Council, the General Assembly and their committees and subsidiary bodies. Specifically, I made it clear that it would not be possible for meetings to be serviced, except in emergencies, during the evening, at night or during weekends. I also warned that, unless there was an improvement in the situation, further economy measures would have to follow. 113. At my request, the Ford Foundation convened an independent international advisory group of experts in September 1992 to examine the financing of the United Nations, with a view to creating a secure financial base for the Organization over the long term. The group met three times between September 1992 and January 1993 and published its report, entitled "Financing an Effective United Nations", in February 1993. The report is comprehensive and contains many valuable recommendations. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my profound thanks and appreciation to the chairmen and members of the group for their work, and also to the Ford Foundation for sponsoring it. I have sent the report to Member States and am also transmitting it to the General Assembly for consideration at its forty-eighth session. 114. In spite of these unfavourable circumstances, indeed partly because of the strained cash situation, the Administration has pursued its efforts to enhance its productivity. The increased productivity of the United Nations during the past year is reflected in the remainder of this report. D. Preparing for the fiftieth anniversary 115. The Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, established by the General Assembly in decision 46/472 of 13 April 1992, held five meetings. Agreement was reached by consensus on a theme for the anniversary: "We the peoples of the United Nations ... united for a better world". The Preparatory Committee also established a working group to prepare a solemn declaration for the observance. 116. To date, 13 Member States have notified me of the formation of national committees in support of this observance. I look forward to receiving confirmation from other Member States regarding their national committees. The fiftieth anniversary secretariat has been coordinating anniversary preparations and programme development within the system, with the support of non-governmental organizations and other partners. I regard the anniversary as a major milestone to be marked not only by celebration, but by programmes of serious reflection, education and communication. FIGURE 1 General Assembly: number of resolutions adopted and agenda items, 1989-1993 FIGURE 2 Security Council: number of formal meetings, resolutions adopted and statements by the President, 1988-1993 FIGURE 3 Security Council: number of formal meetings and consultations of the whole, 1988-1993 FIGURE 4 Estimated expenditures of the United Nations system by sector, 1992-1993, all sources of funds (Millions of United States dollars) FIGURE 5 Summary of contributions: regular budget and peace-keeping, as at 31 July 1993 "To achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character ..." Charter of the United Nations, Article 1, paragraph 3 III. DEVELOPING THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY 117. The gap between the world's richest and poorest countries is widening, yet that shocking fact is more often than not greeted by indifference. The United Nations is the special voice of the world's poorest nations. No task is greater or more urgent than to impress upon the economically leading nations that the world cannot ultimately prosper if the poorest continue to suffer and decline. 118. The ideological contest of the cold war stimulated great super-Power interest in developing countries. The reasons were not always admirable, but poor countries could benefit from that interest. Today, we see that the world, in the wake of the cold war, recognizes the importance of competition; but the end of the cold war has ended the competition to bring development to the world. 119. The message from the United Nations has been clear: macroeconomic growth should not be pursued without due consideration for such aspects of human well-being as health, education, poverty levels, income levels and income distribution, and participation in the political process and in the market place. In short, human development, in its social and economic dimensions, must be at the centre of all development efforts. 120. I intend to set out the United Nations approach to development in full in "An agenda for development", a preliminary report which will be submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session. An agenda for development will provide more than yet another development theory. As a practical document, it will set the guidelines for future United Nations action in the economic and social fields. I look forward to a lively and fruitful discussion of the preliminary report during the forty-eighth session. A. Global development activities 1. Secretariat departments at Headquarters 121. The Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development provides substantive support for the central coordinating and policy-making functions vested in the Economic and Social Council in its high-level, coordination and operational activities segments and the Second and Third Committees of the General Assembly, the Commission on Sustainable Development, the Commission for Social Development, the Commission on the Status of Women and, pending the conclusion of the current intergovernmental review, the World Food Council. The Department serves, at the expert level, the High-level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development and, at the inter-secretariat level, the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development and other subsidiary bodies of the Administrative Committee on Coordination dealing with both operational and programme questions. The Department will coordinate the contributions of other Secretariat entities to the work of central intergovernmental bodies in the economic and social areas, but its aim is also to broaden the base and improve the quality of support by engaging all relevant parts of the economic and social sectors of the Organization. 122. The Department will assist me in ensuring the successful implementation of Agenda 21 and other major documents adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Considerable efforts will need to be made to ensure that sustainable development principles are adequately reflected in new or adjusted policies, in legislation, and in programme budgets and structures. 123. The redeployment to this Department of the relevant functions and activities of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs at Vienna and the World Food Council secretariat at Rome should enhance United Nations capacity for coherent policy development and provide more effective support for central intergovernmental bodies. It should, in general, help to promote a more integrated approach to development. 124. The Department, in addition to providing subject-specific policy reports, as required, for the relevant intergovernmental bodies, will assume primary responsibility for the preparation of an annual policy report of the Secretary-General focusing on a selected number of major policy issues calling for concerted international action. That report will draw on, and be coordinated with, the work of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and other concerned entities. 125. I have also asked the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development to take on responsibility for coordinating the preparations for the World Summit for Social Development, to be held at Copenhagen in 1995. The Summit, which will coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization, is already the focus of much debate within the United Nations system, particularly within the Economic and Social Council. Preparatory studies for the Summit are under way, on some of the major economic and social issues facing the international community. They include: (a) Poverty, and equity issues, both inter-State and intra-State; (b) Unemployment, vulnerable groups and countries, and patterns of economic exclusion; (c) Social security issues and safety nets; (d) Migration and patterns of human and economic movement. 126. With respect to the advancement of women, my objective is to achieve a stronger and more unified programme. The relocation of the Division for the Advancement of Women within the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development will place its activities in the mainstream of the economic and social work of the Organization, and should assist in integrating gender issues into every aspect of our work on development. My proposal to merge the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has been endorsed by the Economic and Social Council. It should give greater coherence to the policy, research and operational aspects of United Nations efforts for the advancement of women. 127. Taken together, these measures should help to focus preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held at Beijing in 1995. Other preparatory work for that important global forum has involved support for national and regional preparations, the coordination of United Nations system participation, the involvement of non-governmental organizations, and efforts to heighten public awareness. The Secretary-General of the Conference, Gertrude Mongella, has already conducted missions to several States Members of the United Nations to promote the goals and objectives of the Conference, and to seek support for it at all levels. 128. The question of violence against women has continued to be of deep concern. A major step forward was the drafting of the draft Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, which the Economic and Social Council, at its substantive session of 1993, urged the General Assembly to adopt. It is hoped that this work will be brought to a successful conclusion at the forty-eighth session of the Assembly. * * * 129. The Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis has a central responsibility for maintaining and enhancing the quantitative information systems (population and statistics) of the United Nations. In addition, the Department is charged with servicing the substantive needs of the international community in the fields of economic and social policy and research. It thus provides the link between the various departments and organs at Headquarters and the regional commissions. 130. The Department also serves as the lead unit for economic and social information within the United Nations and provides statistical support to all parts of the Organization. In this regard, it will cooperate closely with the Bretton Woods institutions and other relevant organizations and will link its activities with the early-warning capabilities being developed in the political and humanitarian sectors of the Organization. 131. Since its inception in February 1993, the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis has concentrated on the development and implementation of the 1993 System of National Accounts and on providing a new impetus for the collection of statistics on the environment. The Department has also undertaken considerable preparatory work for the International Conference on Population and Development, to be held at Cairo in September 1994, for which, together with the United Nations Population Fund, it is providing the secretariat. In addition, two reports were made available to the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1993, namely, the 1993 Report on the World Social Situation and the World Economic Survey, 1993. Those reports were the culmination of more than a year of intensive efforts. Their basic structure and approach were worked out under the authority of the head of the former Department of Economic and Social Development. 132. The Statistical Commission, and the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1993, adopted the 1993 System of National Accounts, a basic tool for organizing and analysing economic statistics. With the adoption of the 1993 System, an international consensus was reached on an up-to-date and near-universal language for economic dialogue among countries and groups of countries. The adoption also marked the successful culmination of a 10-year effort by the Secretariat on the System of National Accounts, which was carried out in close collaboration with the regional commissions, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Community and many national experts. 133. Fresh impetus was given to work on environmental statistics. The development and implementation of integrated environmental and economic accounting will provide new tools for monitoring in this field. Further pioneering work on gender statistics continued, with a second issue of The World's Women in preparation. Priorities and an action plan were established from a global review of international statistical activities designed to improve international cooperation and statistical development with an enhanced regional dimension. 134. The work of the Secretariat in population aims to facilitate the work of the Economic and Social Council, through the Population Commission, in the formulation of policy recommendations, in the delivery of technical assistance and cooperation and in the substantive coordination of the activities of the United Nations system in the field of population. 135. The implications of the Single European Act for countries not members of the European Community, including the transitional economies and the developing countries, were explored in two issues of the Journal of Development Planning. Another issue of the same journal was devoted to examining the implications for developing countries of the economic, political and social transformations in central and eastern Europe. 136. Macroeconomic forecasts of the world economy for the period 1993-2001 and alternative policy simulations were prepared to serve as the basis for policy-oriented discussions at expert group meetings held at Ankara, Geneva and New York. * * * 137. The Department for Development Support and Management Services is designed to sharpen the focus of United Nations technical assistance and enhance its impact on the priority needs of developing countries and countries in transition. The new Department's mandate is twofold. On the one hand, it will act as an executing agency for programmes and projects relating to institutional and human resources development in areas such as development planning, policies and infrastructure, public administration, private sector development and enterprise management, financial management and accounting, and natural resources and energy planning and management. On the other hand, the Department will be the focal point at United Nations Headquarters for the provision of management services and implementation functions for technical cooperation. 138. With effect from 1 January 1994, the Department will incorporate, as a semi-autonomous entity, the Office for Project Services, currently located within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). One consideration in making this change was the view, frequently voiced by Member States, that the current location of the Office within UNDP is incompatible with the primary purpose of UNDP as a central coordinating and funding mechanism. The change should also increase cost-effectiveness and eliminate duplication in the delivery of technical cooperation services by the United Nations. The incorporation of the Office for Project Services in the Secretariat also provides an opportunity for the redeployment, closer to the constituencies they are intended to serve, of relevant parts of the Organization's technical cooperation and advisory services. 139. The Department for Development Support and Management Services has, since its creation in 1993, concentrated on the thematic and cross-sectoral aspects of its work. Special attention has been paid by the Department to the integration of its activities with the Organization's work in peace-keeping and humanitarian affairs. Ongoing activities in this area include support for election administration and reconstruction efforts in a number of countries, and work on the conversion of military infrastructure and industries to peaceful civilian use. 140. The Department has taken part in the new UNDP support costs arrangements, and in discussions with the executing agencies and UNDP about how the system could be refined to make it more effective. 141. The Department for Development Support and Management Services is also giving close attention to ensuring that it plays a dynamic role as an agent for technical cooperation, particularly in the context of national execution and the programme approach. It has intensified its efforts in institution-building and human resource development, with particular attention to the strengthening of institutions in developing countries. The Department is also implementing a multisectoral approach to technical cooperation and institution-building. 2. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 142. In the area of international trade, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has focused on issues related to national transparent mechanisms in the context of the fight against protectionism. UNCTAD has also stressed the need for international support for the initiatives of developing countries, especially through improved market access and stronger financial flows. The link between the decreasing real price of primary commodities and the environment has been addressed in Agenda 21. Depressed commodity prices lead to overproduction to maintain foreign exchange income, a process which often leads in turn to environmental deterioration. 143. The concept of comprehensive development has had a major impact on the work of UNCTAD. Whereas in the past proceedings were usually geared to the adoption of resolutions and decisions, the reforms adopted at the eighth session of UNCTAD, in February 1992, have led to an increasing role for negotiations. The pragmatic and non-confrontational approach implicit in those reforms has facilitated the search for convergence and consensus-building. On the other hand, unless opportunities for trade and development are enhanced, tensions will build up and confrontational approaches will once again come to the fore. 144. The Special Committee on Preferences conducted an extensive exchange of views on the implementation of the generalized system of preferences and agreed to undertake a policy review of the system in 1995. Recent agreements reached by negotiations held under the auspices of UNCTAD include the International Sugar Agreement (March 1992), the Protocol extending the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 1986, with amendments (March 1993), and a new Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages (May 1993). 145. UNCTAD has enhanced its capacity to address the new challenges and opportunities that have arisen for strengthening international cooperation for development. Furthermore, with the imminent transfer to UNCTAD from United Nations Headquarters of programmes relating to transnational corporations and science and technology for development, the UNCTAD secretariat will be well placed, through improved programme delivery, to enable the concerned commissions of the Economic and Social Council, as well as the competent UNCTAD intergovernmental bodies, to discharge their respective mandates more effectively. 3. United Nations Environment Programme 146. The new leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has the responsibility of transforming its programme in recognition of Agenda 21 priorities. The seventeenth session of the Governing Council was held in May 1993. That was the first intergovernmental meeting to discuss Agenda 21 since its endorsement by the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session, and it provided an opportunity for Governments to agree on programmes and priorities affecting both the developing and the developed countries. 147. In supporting the implementation of Agenda 21, the Governing Council called upon the Executive Director to make every effort to strengthen, orient and adjust, as appropriate, the activities, programmes and medium-term plan of UNEP to help achieve the objectives of Agenda 21. After receiving and reviewing in detail the UNEP programme for the bienniums 1992-1993 and 1994-1995, the Council noted that the programme would require further development to incorporate changes required by the Rio de Janeiro Conference. The Governing Council reaffirmed that Agenda 21 must be implemented in close cooperation with the Commission on Sustainable Development, and requested the Executive Director to present to the Council at its next session her estimates of the costs to UNEP of the full implementation of those parts of Agenda 21 specifically recommended for the Programme's attention. The Council stressed that high priority should be given to the needs of developing countries. 148. UNEP provided technical cooperation in the field of environmental law and institutions to the Governments of 11 African, 10 Asian and Pacific and 3 Latin American and Caribbean countries. That work was conducted in cooperation with UNDP, the World Bank and regional organizations. In addition, national environmental plans and strategies were prepared in 14 developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Country studies on costs and benefits of environmental management and conservation of biodiversity were carried out in six countries with different biological profiles. 149. The international environmental information system of UNEP now brings together a total of 155 participating countries. About 25,000 queries were answered in 1992. The INFOTERRA International Directory contains over 6,000 sources of environmental information. Equipment and training were provided to 30 developing countries. The Global Resources Information Database (GRID) has now linked 30 affiliated centres around the world. This enables planners and scientists to access data, monitor trends and study the interactions between environmental variables using geographic information systems and data management computer techniques. The Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) set up a regional environmental information network to promote the exchange of environmental information in support of strategies for collective preventive or remedial action on environmental issues. Regional surveys were conducted to identify environmental and natural resources information and information management requirements and activities in the African, Asian-Pacific and Latin American regions. 150. UNEP provided assistance, through joint undertakings with the regional commissions and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, to seven countries for the formulation of national plans to combat desertification. Support was also provided, jointly with other organizations, to establish networks and mechanisms for mobilizing action for the implementation of the Plan of Action to Combat Desertification. Through the UNEP/UNDP joint venture, the United Nations Sahelian Office continued to assist Sudano-Sahelian countries to implement the Plan of Action and to bring together additional financial and technical assistance from other bodies. In addition, UNEP cooperated with regional and subregional organizations, such as the Southern Africa Development Community and the Arab League, to provide assistance through them to their member countries in the implementation of the Plan of Action. 151. UNEP is cooperating closely with African Governments, non-governmental organizations and development agencies in the implementation of the programme of the Conference of African Ministers on the Environment, in the area of energy and food security, and on measures to strengthen environmental machineries, the formulation of environmental action plans and programmes, and environmental training and public awareness. UNEP continues to emphasize in its outreach programme the topic of women and the environment. 152. UNEP is providing support for 24 projects under the Action Plan for the Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the initial financing of the secretariat, located at the UNEP regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean. Those projects are being implemented in close association with Governments, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, regional offices of specialized agencies and other intergovernmental agencies and subregional organizations. 153. UNEP is also working closely with its partners UNDP and the World Bank to increase efficiency in the implementation of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). UNEP is strengthening its scientific inputs and servicing of the Science and Technology Advisory Panel. UNEP is also taking an active part in the evaluation of GEF-funded projects and in discussions on the administration, legal framework and management of the next phase of GEF. 154. The range and variety of these programmes indicates the difficulty of acting coherently and comprehensively; clearly the level of integration which we seek and which the times demand has not yet been attained. A substantial effort has, however, been made and progress over the past year has been evident. 4. United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) 155. The global housing crisis, which affects hundreds of millions of families in both rural and urban settlements, and the social, economic and environmental impact of the unprecedented pace of urbanization in the developing regions provide the context of the work of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). 156. The main policy direction for the activities of the Centre derives from the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, adopted by the General Assembly in December 1988. It has also been incorporated into the human settlements programme of Agenda 21. The Strategy encourages Governments to adopt policies that enable all the actors in the public and private sectors, including non-governmental organizations, community organizations and women's groups, to contribute to the process of improving shelter and human settlements conditions, and provide adequate mechanisms to monitor progress through quantitative and policy indicators. 157. Similarly, the applied research and training activities of Habitat have focused on improving the capacity of Governments, especially at the local level, and low-income communities to face the challenges of human settlements management and development. Equally important is the identification of low-cost and environmentally sound technological options for human settlements infrastructure and services. Directly addressing the critical need to make an early contribution to the continuum of relief, rehabilitation and development activities of the United Nations system, Habitat has also played a notable role during the year in human settlements and rehabilitation efforts in Afghanistan and Cambodia. 158. The decision by the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session to convene a second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in 1996 is a clear recognition of the need for new concerted action by the international community to address the issues of environmentally sustainable human settlements development in a rapidly urbanizing world. Habitat, which will provide the secretariat for the Conference, will have a major responsibility for the success of the Conference, in cooperation with Member States and the United Nations system. B. Operational activities for development 159. Discussions on the reform of operational activities have been under way in the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council since 1989. In 1992, in an important step forward, the General Assembly, in resolution 47/199, reaffirmed the need for reform in the field of development activities. It also stressed that development is a shared responsibility. The Assembly urged developed countries to increase their official development assistance, and emphasized that recipient Governments had the primary responsibility for coordinating, on the basis of national strategies and priorities, all types of external assistance. Resolution 47/199 also contained important guidelines on the role of the United Nations system in development. The country strategy note, introduced by the resolution, offers a major opportunity for coordinating the response of the entire United Nations system to the priorities of developing country Governments. The programme approach is another important feature of resolution 47/199, and will play a major role in securing logical and integrated donor responses to government development priorities at the sectoral and intersectoral levels. Under resolution 47/199, the United Nations is required to assist Governments to achieve self-reliance in managing their economic and social development. 1. Technical cooperation programmes of the United Nations Secretariat 160. In 1992, the then Department of Economic and Social Development had 918 technical cooperation projects under execution, with a total delivery of $141 million, against current year budget provisions of $185 million. The work programme of the Department consisted of giving advice and assistance to developing countries in national economic and social development planning, and providing expertise on energy policy, water resources projects, mineral resources, cartography, remote sensing and infrastructural work, public administration and finance, statistics, population policies, and transnational corporations, in addition to support services for other development agencies. The Department also participated in programmes relevant to the notion that political progress and economic development are inseparable and must be pursued simultaneously. 161. A large-scale effort to assist in the national election held in Angola, in September 1992, focused on the coordination of foreign assistance and on logistical support. Other electoral missions were conducted in Albania, Ethiopia, Mali and Mozambique. Missions were also fielded to provide advice and assistance in preparing elections in El Salvador, Lesotho, Rwanda and Uganda. In this, the Department and, since December 1992, the Department for Development Support and Management Services, worked closely with the Electoral Assistance Unit in the Department of Political Affairs. 162. The Department of Economic and Social Development, with the cooperation of the Beijing Commission for Science and Technology, organized at Beijing, in October 1992, a seminar on urban information systems and their application to developing countries. The purpose of the seminar was to provide a forum for discussion and dissemination of current and improved techniques in this field. 163. The Department provided secretariat services and technical background papers for the Sixth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names. In collaboration with the Earth Observation Satellite Company and the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, the Department organized a two-week seminar on photogrammetry and remote sensing, to benefit developing countries. 164. I have followed with particularly close interest and concern the question of African development and the implementation of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 46/151, as updated by the System-wide Plan of Action for African Economic Recovery and Development. The goals and activities of the New Agenda were central to the work programme of the Office of the Special Coordinator for Africa and the Least Developed Countries in 1992. To advise and assist me in this work I appointed a panel of high-level personalities. I took part myself in meetings of the panel, at Geneva in December 1992 and at Rome in May 1993. I am most grateful to the members of the panel for their valuable contribution, which is ongoing. 165. The Department of Economic and Social Development organized, in cooperation with the INSTRAW, an interregional workshop on women's role in the environment and sustainable development in September 1992 at Beijing. There were 120 participants and over 80 prototype project proposals were developed. The workshop was perceived as providing a key link between the Rio de Janeiro Conference and the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in 1995. The Department also organized, in cooperation with INSTRAW and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, a regional workshop on training modules on women, water supply and sanitation, which was held in Thailand in September 1992, following a similar one held in the Gambia in 1991. The Department also responded to requests about developing national databases and reports for the 1995 Conference. 2. United Nations Children's Fund 166. In 1992, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) cooperated in programmes in over 130 countries. In addition, UNICEF expanded its programmes of support to central and eastern Europe and the republics of the former Soviet Union as mandated by the Executive Board. Programme expenditure totalled $744 million in 1992. Of that amount, 31 per cent was spent on child health, including the expanded programme on immunization and oral rehydration therapy; 22 per cent on emergency programmes; 15 per cent on planning, advocacy and prime support; 11 per cent on water supply and sanitation; 10 per cent on education, including young child development; 7 per cent on community development, women's programmes and children in especially difficult circumstances; and 4 per cent on nutrition and household food security. 167. Overall UNICEF expenditure for 1992 was dominated by emergency assistance, owing partially to the situations in Angola, Iraq, Mozambique, Somalia, the Sudan and the former Yugoslavia. For the biennium 1992-1993, the estimated expenditure of UNICEF amounts to $1.8 billion. It is forecast that the total annual income of UNICEF will exceed $1 billion by 1995. Expenditure on emergency relief is expected to decrease, with a corresponding increase in expenditure on the development aspects of the work of UNICEF, including child health and nutrition, water supply and sanitation, education, community development, children in especially difficult circumstances and women-centred programmes. 168. The goals established by the international community for UNICEF include seven overarching goals and a number of supporting goals. The overarching goals include reduction of infant mortality by one third or to 50 per 1,000 live births, whichever is the lower; reduction of mortality among children under five years old by one third or to 70 per 1,000 live births; reduction of the maternal mortality rate by half by the year 2000; reduction of severe and moderate malnutrition among children under five by half by the year 2000; universal access to safe drinking water and to sanitary means of excreta disposal; universal access to basic education and completion of primary education by at least 80 per cent of children of primary school age by the year 2000; reduction of the adult illiteracy rate (the appropriate age group to be determined in each country) to at least half its 1990 level, with an emphasis on female literacy; and improved protection of children in especially difficult circumstances. Among the supporting goals, key items include eradication of polio by the year 2000; elimination of neonatal tetanus by 1995; elimination of guinea-worm disease by the year 2000; virtual elimination of iodine deficiency disorders and vitamin A deficiency; and access by all pregnant women to basic maternal care. 169. Since the World Summit for Children, some 142 countries have embarked on national programmes of action, often developed with UNICEF support. The World Summit for Children captured the essence of UNICEF support and advocacy when it affirmed the principle of a "first call for children", which it defined as "a principle that the essential needs of children should be given high priority in the allocation of resources, in bad times as well as in good times, at national and international as well as at family levels". This was a logical consequence of the mandates given to the Organization in relation to the goals for children and development and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 170. In June 1993, children addressed the World Conference on Human Rights at Vienna and demanded greater respect for the rights of children. A number of national programmes of action have been drawn up by developed countries. They include activities for their own children, and commitments on assistance to children in developing countries. In developing countries, the national programmes of action have outlined strategies and priorities for budget allocations and provided a framework for the mobilization and coordination of development assistance. 3. United Nations Development Programme 171. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the largest provider of grant assistance for technical cooperation in the United Nations system. It serves over 170 developing countries and territories through its network of 124 field offices. UNDP coordinates operational activities for development for the United Nations system as a whole and works closely with the regional commissions, the Secretariat and the specialized agencies, and with the Bretton Woods institutions. At the country level, the head of each UNDP office is the Resident Representative, who is usually designated as the resident coordinator of the United Nations system's operational activities for development, and is also the local representative of several other United Nations organizations and programmes. Work has continued on the integration of 18 United Nations information centres with UNDP field offices, in such a way as to preserve the functional autonomy of the centres. 172. UNDP expenditure has increased considerably over the last 10 years (see figure 6). Over the past five years, UNDP has funded programmes and projects valued at around $7 billion. The resources of UNDP derive from voluntary contributions received from developed and developing countries alike. Those external resources support national programmes in which the major share is allocated by the countries themselves. In 1992, the largest share of spending was in Africa (39 per cent), followed by Asia and the Pacific (33 per cent), Latin America and the Caribbean (7 per cent), the Arab States (7 per cent) and Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (2 per cent). The remainder was spent on interregional and global programmes, for the support of national liberation movements, and in Caribbean and Pacific multi-island programmes. In each region, some 87 per cent of UNDP resources went to least developed countries (those with a GNP per capita of less than $750 per year). 173. The bulk of UNDP-funded activities fall within the framework of country programmes through which UNDP and the recipient Government spell out the strategy for using UNDP resources effectively. Compared with earlier cycles, the country programmes approved for the fifth programming cycle are more focused on the priorities outlined in Governing Council decision 90/34, namely, poverty alleviation, management of development, environment and natural resources management, women in development, technical cooperation among developing countries and science and technology for development. Also emphasized are HIV/AIDS, education for all, and private sector development. UNDP is experienced in both long-term technical cooperation and emergency and transitional situations. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a major natural disaster of planetary scope, with particularly devastating consequences for developing countries. Since 1987, UNDP has provided funds to some 30 countries for national HIV/AIDS-related programmes. While continuing to show concern for those infected, UNDP, in close cooperation with the World Health Organization, has stressed the importance of preventive measures for combating the pandemic. 174. In 1992 the number of projects aimed at fostering self-reliance through capacity-building for sustainable human development increased. Those projects included guiding the development process to reach the poor and alleviate poverty; protecting the environment and regenerating the resource base for future production; designing workable strategies, action plans and policy reforms; mobilizing financial resources, both public and private; and managing the aid process to help countries make the most of limited concessional resources. The aim of UNDP was to help countries develop economies that would achieve job-led growth and increase social equity and integration. Increased attention to human development has led to a greater recognition of the importance of the political, social, cultural, environmental and institutional aspects of development previously overshadowed by the focus on economic factors. There is now a growing acceptance that development cooperation must include measures to improve governance, judicial systems and social integration and other activities designed to remove obstacles to real participation. This was the theme of the Human Development Report 1993, which UNDP sponsored. 175. Developing countries sought specific UNDP support to apply the human development concept in national strategies. Since there is no blueprint for human development, each country has taken its own course, focusing on different issues and priorities. In each case, commitment is critical, from Governments and non-governmental sectors alike. Areas of concern for the national strategies have included the collection of data on development gaps and disparities, analysis, and building consensus between policy makers and representatives of civil society, particularly between non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The aim is to offer multidisciplinary approaches to social justice in a sustainable manner. 176. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development gave UNDP a particular mandate to support countries in their efforts to build capacity to implement Agenda 21. Together with the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank, UNDP manages the $1.3 billion Global Environment Facility (GEF), taking responsibility for capacity-building and targeted research projects, preinvestment activities, the GEF small grants programme for non-governmental organizations, and facilitating in-country coordination and dissemination of information. 177. Development activities are now clearly seen as helping to establish the conditions for peace. In the aftermath of conflict, developing countries are asking UNDP to assist them with the rehabilitation of war-torn areas, the return and resettlement of refugees and the demobilization and training of former soldiers. To create conditions likely to maintain peace, countries seek UNDP support for programmes to build their capacities to reconstitute the social fabric and to ensure that people can meet their basic needs. 178. At the same time, requests for assistance in fields relatively new for UNDP are being received as Governments seek to give people a say in the forces that shape their lives by increasing their participation in political processes. Support is increasingly sought to improve abilities to conduct elections, bring about democratization and ensure legal protection and human rights. In 1992 in Africa alone, UNDP contributed about $2 million to electoral assistance projects in eight countries that drew nearly $32 million in funds from the countries themselves and from bilateral donors. Countries turned to UNDP for assistance in these sensitive areas, showing their confidence in the objectivity, neutrality and effectiveness of UNDP. 179. UNDP has coordinated its activities with those of the multilateral financial institutions, including the Bretton Woods institutions and the regional development banks. The comparative advantages of UNDP include its field-based organization constantly in touch with local realities, its delivery of technical cooperation for capacity-building, and its effective and extensive cooperation with the specialized agencies. The collaboration includes joint activities at global and regional levels and the execution by multilateral financial institutions of UNDP-funded projects at interregional, regional and national levels. 180. UNDP cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has focused on assisting developing countries to build their capacity for sound macroeconomic policy formulation and management and establishing necessary financial institutions. For the most part, IMF has acted as executing agency for UNDP-funded projects. In addition, there have been joint training programmes in macroeconomic adjustment and the design of structural adjustment programmes. 181. At the regional and global levels, many development issues require the mobilization of resources, expertise, research networks, forums for debate and media presentation on a massive scale. UNDP has worked with the World Bank and the donor community in many areas of global concern, including the Global Environment Facility, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme, the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade, the Urban Management Programme, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and the Onchocerciasis Control Programme. At the regional level, there are such joint activities as the African Capacity-building Initiative, the Social Dimensions of Adjustment and the National Long-term Perspective Studies. 182. In "An Agenda for Peace", I highlighted the role of regional organizations in peacemaking and preventive diplomacy. That role extends naturally across the spectrum of political, economic and social conflict. Long-term growth and political stability are mutually interdependent. This is recognized by the United Nations system in its inter-agency programmes, and in the work of UNDP. 183. UNDP cooperation with the African Development Bank covers a wide range of development issues, the Bank acting as executing agency for regional projects in such areas as support for women entrepreneurs, energy, and a feasibility study for the establishment of an African export-import bank. During the fourth programming cycle, UNDP-financed projects executed by the Bank amounted to $6 million. 184. UNDP cooperation with the Asian Development Bank covers almost all sectors, with particular focus on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and natural resources. UNDP-financed projects executed by the Bank during the fourth programming cycle amounted to $21 million. The relationship is changing as a result of the growing trend towards national execution in the region, and as a result of the greater concentration of UNDP resources on fewer areas of activity. 185. For Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have an agreement for cooperation and coordination that has led to successful co-financing and joint programming at the national level. Since it is clear that a modern economy without a modern society will not be viable, one aim of such joint projects on human development and governance is to forestall conflict by supporting consensus-building and enhancing the responsiveness of government to civil society. A joint methodology for human development and social reform has been developed, based on consensus-building and the formulation of responsible long-term public policy. A new strategy for IDB lending to the social sector was debated at a major conference co-sponsored by UNDP and IDB, and was subsequently approved by the Bank's Governing Board. 186. In the field of environment, IDB and UNDP helped the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean prepare a common agenda for the Rio de Janeiro Conference that was widely used in the discussions and negotiations. Given the region's strong capacity for policy analysis and also given small indicative planning figures, the role of UNDP has also been to provide seed money and to support Governments in managing loans from multilateral financial institutions. 187. At a time when UNDP is being required to address both ongoing and new priorities in a growing number of recipient countries, it is disturbing to report that, after several years of annual increases, contributions to UNDP in 1992 fell to $1,073 million and in 1993 to an estimated $930 million (see figure 7). While I recognize that donor countries are under severe financial constraints, it is my hope that the levels of funding of UNDP will be restored, given the magnitude of the development challenge the world now faces. 4. United Nations Population Fund 188. The annual increase in the world's population reached a record level of 93 million. Rapid rates of population growth place a strain on economic growth and hence on development. Yet population growth can be greatly affected by development measures. 189. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) continues to promote the concept of family planning as a basic human right, based on the principle of informed and voluntary choice. According to the World Health Organization, some 910,000 conceptions occur every day. Half are unplanned. A quarter are unwanted. Some 1,370 women die every day from causes related to pregnancy or childbirth, most of them in developing countries. Thousands more nearly die. Many themselves are children. Many such tragic situations could be avoided if family planning and maternal health programmes were available. 190. One encouraging development is that an increasing number of countries are now linking population issues to national development policies and priorities. To support those countries, UNFPA took steps to enhance strategic programming, promoted the provision of requisite technical assistance, and supported national capacity-building for national execution and for coordination of population programme activities. 191. In compliance with the requirements of General Assembly resolution 47/199, UNFPA strengthened its efforts to build national capacity to manage population programmes, with the aim of enabling countries to become self-reliant in population policy and execution. The core of the Fund's successor support-cost arrangements is high-level technical assistance to help Governments assume the management of UNFPA-funded programmes and projects. The principal UNFPA mechanism for providing technical support services is the country support team, consisting of a team leader and technical advisers; those teams are designed to support not only national execution and national capacity-building but also the decentralization of authority, another emphasis given by the Assembly in resolution 47/199. 192. Low growth prospects, and indeed poor social integration policies, in many countries have increased migration from the underdeveloped to the developed world. There are today some 100 million international migrants, around 2 per cent of the world population. Of these, 17 million are refugees and a further 20 million have fled deteriorating economic and ecological conditions at home. This is causing strains in both the receiving countries - Europe alone received 15 million migrants between 1980 and 1992 - and in the sending countries, strains which have resulted in a renewal of political and social tensions world wide. 193. UNFPA continues to pay particular attention to ensuring that gender issues are reflected in all aspects of development assistance, especially in capacity-building. Women and children are often the hardest hit victims of conflict. In situations where no conflict exists, they are often denied their importance in social construction. For women to realize to the full their potential role as agents of change, they must be able to determine the frequency and timing of childbirth and must have equal access to education and jobs. 194. The World Conference on Population and Development will be held at Cairo in September 1994. The second session of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference was successfully convened in New York in May 1993, and a third session is scheduled to take place in New York in April 1994. The regional commissions are preparing the ground for a conference which will take up the challenge of people-centred development. 5. World Food Programme 195. The World Food Programme (WFP), with total expenditure in 1992 of nearly $1.7 billion, is a major source of grant assistance for developing countries in the United Nations system. Of that amount, 65 per cent was for emergency relief, 29 per cent for development projects, and 6 per cent for programme support and administrative costs. 196. The balance between emergency and development assistance provided by WFP has altered considerably in the last three years, as the growing needs of victims of natural and man-made disasters have continued to dominate its work. Previously, emergency assistance accounted for no more than a third of the Programme's annual expenditure; in 1992, with active relief operations in 48 countries, WFP handled 60 per cent of all international relief food. Commitments for relief activities in 1992 were nearly 50 per cent higher than in 1991 and nearly three times as high as in 1990. For 1993, commitments for relief activities are expected to total $1.25 billion, down slightly from the 1992 record of $1.4 billion. 197. It is estimated that in 1992 some 42 million poor people in developing countries directly benefited from WFP food aid provided in support of development activities or as relief assistance. Of that number, some 27.5 million people, including 14.4 million refugees and displaced people, received WFP relief food in the course of the year. 198. As a result of the increase in relief food aid needs in 1992, WFP handled an all-time record of 5.2 million tons of food. The cost of transporting that food totalled more than $400 million. Three fifths of all shipments of WFP food for the year were for relief, both for short-term emergencies and for long-term refugees and displaced people, compared to one third in earlier years. 199. As conflict and civil strife continue to cause suffering throughout the world, WFP has encouraged international efforts to develop the principle of safe passage of relief food aid in war zones. In a number of countries, such as Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, Liberia, Mozambique, Somalia, the Sudan and the former Yugoslavia, conflict has hampered efforts to deliver humanitarian relief. WFP staff are often exposed to personal risk in operations to deliver food to civilians trapped by fighting. 200. In 1992, the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes endorsed a more extensive and systematic application of WFP assistance to support disaster prevention, preparedness, mitigation and rehabilitation measures, particularly in Africa. In several countries, including the Gambia, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda, WFP responded to relief needs by providing food to an increasing number of beneficiaries through ongoing development projects. At the end of 1992, WFP was assisting 258 such projects, with total commitments valued at $3 billion. It is estimated that 15 million people received food through WFP-assisted development projects. 201. New WFP commitments for development projects in 1992 ($421 million, representing 1.1 million tons of food) were the lowest in value terms since 1978. This resulted from a continuing decline since 1988 in resources made available to WFP for development assistance and the need to bring commitments more into line with the expected future availability of resources. In 1993, commitments for future development projects are expected to decline further, to $300 million, representing 850,000 tons. Shipments to ongoing development projects in 1993 are expected to reach $470 million, representing 1.4 million tons, which is close to the average for the past four years. 6. United Nations International Drug Control Programme 202. The United Nations International Drug Control Programme coordinates all drug control activities within the United Nations system and acts as a point of reference for action taken by Governments. The Programme also supports technical cooperation activities which reflect its comparative advantage at the multilateral level. Its strategic priorities have been adapted to evolving drug-related trends, which are themselves driven by unprecedented developments in the political, economic and social fields. I am encouraged by the fact that, during the forty-eighth session of the General Assembly, four plenary meetings will be devoted to the issue of international cooperation against illicit drugs. 203. The United Nations International Drug Control Programme has indicated that the inter-agency meeting on international drug abuse control to be held in 1994 will focus on the theme of women, drug abuse and drug control. C. Regional development activities 204. The regional commissions carry out important information-gathering and socio-economic analysis functions in their respective regions. They have been playing a major role in developing policy on economic integration and in clarifying economic, social, political and environmental issues relating to sustainable development. They thus provide a forum and a network for cooperation among their member States and between them and other States at the technical level. In addition, they are increasingly becoming providers of technical cooperation, especially in intersectoral areas and in areas where no other United Nations body has a comparative advantage. 205. In the restructuring process on which I have embarked I have emphasized the important contribution of the regional commissions. Steps have therefore been taken to strengthen the functions of the commissions and to increase their responsibilities. Those steps are designed to enhance the contribution of the commissions - as the regional arms of a single, integrated United Nations programme in the social and economic field - to the global work of Headquarters departments. 206. Regional commissions should function as the main centres within the United Nations system for general economic and social development in their respective regions. Decentralization should not however entail a fragmentation of the activities of the Secretariat; rather, it should promote complementarity and mutual reinforcement of activities and should contribute to the cohesiveness of the work of the United Nations. 1. Economic Commission for Africa 207. In 1993, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) intensified its search for durable solutions to the continent's problems and its efforts to put Africa on the path to sustained and sustainable development by articulating policy measures that respond to the needs of African countries in the social and economic fields. 208. Among the principal activities undertaken by the ECA secretariat was the preparation for and convening of the Third African Population Conference, which was held at Dakar in December 1992. The Conference was convened in response to Economic and Social Council resolution 1991/93, in which the Council asked regional commissions to convene conferences to review experience gained in population policies and programmes in their regions as part of their contribution to the preparations for the International Conference on Population and Development, to be held at Cairo in 1994. 209. The ECA secretariat also contributed to the report of the Secretary-General on major issues and programme activities relating to social development to the Commission for Social Development at its thirty-third session, in February 1993. A progress report on preparatory activities for the International Year of the Family was also prepared for the inter-agency meeting on the Year held at Vienna in March 1993. 210. During the seventh meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Regional Committee on Human Settlements and Environment, which was held at Addis Ababa in March 1993, a report on the follow-up to the Rio de Janeiro Conference was presented. That report included preliminary proposals for strategies to implement Agenda 21 within the framework of the African Common Position on Environment and Development. The proposals related to the major African environmental and development concerns as expressed in the African Common Position. The comments of the Committee were brought to the attention of the ECA Conference of Ministers at its nineteenth meeting. 211. The ECA secretariat continued its efforts to promote the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992) through the publication and circulation of the newsletter Equal Time, in which a number of activities undertaken by and for disabled persons were highlighted. 212. With regard to the least developed, island and land-locked countries, ECA produced a Survey of Economic and Social Conditions in the African Least Developed Countries (1991-1992). That study gives a detailed account of the structure of GDP and the development of the major economic sectors (agriculture, manufacturing, mining), including an assessment of trade, balance of payments, debt and development finance flows and policies pursued in the African least developed, island and land-locked countries. 213. The Executive Secretary of ECA participated in the meetings of the panel of high-level personalities on African development. ECA prepared for the panel a paper on the role of indigenous African non-governmental organizations, as part of a report on the role of non-governmental organizations in Africa's development prepared by the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development. 214. The twenty-eighth session of the Economic Commission for Africa and nineteenth meeting of the Conference of Ministers responsible for economic development and planning, which was held in May 1993, devoted much attention to the challenges of Africa's development in the 1990s and beyond. It had before it the Commission's Economic Report on Africa, 1993 and a number of technical studies prepared for its consideration. 215. The Conference endorsed several strategic objectives as the key to Africa's development in the 1990s. It considered a study on financial resource mobilization for Africa's development, in which it was estimated that about $950 billion (in constant 1990 dollars) of external resources would be required to attain, between 1993 and 2005, the growth target set by the General Assembly in the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s. In view of the gravity of Africa's external debt burden, well over 50 per cent of that amount would be consumed in servicing inherited external debt, unless steps bolder than conventional debt reduction initiatives are implemented. 216. Other development issues addressed by the Conference included human development and the advancement of women in Africa, and preparations for the International Conference on Population and Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the World Summit for Social Development. The Conference also addressed topics related to the implementation of Agenda 21, as well as trade and investment issues in Africa. 2. Economic Commission for Europe 217. The break-up of the Soviet Union and of Yugoslavia and the separation of the Czech and Slovak Republics led to the emergence of new States, and as a result the membership of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) has increased from 34 to 53, and includes former Soviet republics in Transcaucasia and Central Asia. 218. Not only the increase in the number of members poses new challenges to ECE: the very nature of the Commission has changed. Almost half the member States are now countries in transition, some of them clearly at the stage of developing countries. In its analytical work, the ECE secretariat now has to deal with 25 countries in transition which have replaced 8 centrally planned economies. 219. In accordance with the mandate drawn up by the Commission in 1990, ECE has launched a major programme of technical assistance to countries in transition. That programme could be considerably expanded in areas such as advisory services and training, provided the decentralization process now under way strengthens the resource base of ECE. Furthermore, given the number of United Nations programmes and bodies which provide technical assistance in the ECE region, a more coordinated approach is needed to ensure that the aid provided by the United Nations is coherent, well-targeted and demand-driven. The interim office concept, described in section II.B above, was developed in response to that need. 220. Specific requests for assistance have been formulated by individual ECE countries. In response to General Assembly resolutions, the Commission invited all its subsidiary bodies to identify ways and means of contributing to international efforts to assist in the mitigation of the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and in the reconstruction of Croatia. ECE involvement in the latter endeavour is in accordance with the original mandate of the Commission to assist in the reconstruction of war-devastated zones. A coherent United Nations strategy which ensures an integrated approach to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of war-ravaged areas in the ECE region should be prepared by competent United Nations programmes without delay. 221. The Commission, at its forty-eighth session, in April 1993, defined environment, transport, statistics, trade facilitation and economic analysis as its priority areas of activity. Those priorities were reflected in decisions adopted at that session on questions of environment and sustainable development, cooperation and sustainable development in the chemical industry and cooperation in the field of transport. The Commission also adopted a decision on activities designed to assist countries of the region in transition to a market economy and their integration with the European and global economy. The Commission called for further economic cooperation in the Mediterranean region in the light of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, held at Helsinki in 1975. 222. The Economic Survey of Europe in 1992-1993, published by ECE, contains an in-depth analysis of the European transition countries; their output and demand; labour markets, prices and incomes; foreign trade and payments; macroeconomic policies; market reforms; and progress made in privatization. The Survey also includes a review of developments in central, eastern and south-eastern European countries, the countries of the former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union, and the Baltic republics, together with a discussion of Western responses to the transition in central and eastern Europe in aid and trade, analysing the financial flows and commitments of assistance, and East-West cooperation agreements and market access. 223. ECE continued to make useful contributions to global programmes of the United Nations. The Commission submitted to the Rio de Janeiro Conference a compendium of its conventions in the field of environmental protection. As a part of the preparations for the International Conference on Population and Development, ECE held a European Population Conference jointly with UNFPA and the Council of Europe in March 1993. At its forty-eighth session, the Commission decided to convene a high-level regional preparatory meeting for the Fourth World Conference on Women. It also endorsed work under way in socio-economic activities as a contribution to the World Summit for Social Development. Each year, more than 30 countries from outside the ECE region participate actively in the work of the Commission, and the results of its work are made available to the developing countries of other regions. 224. The intensive efforts of the ECE secretariat have resulted in further progress in strengthening cooperation and coordination with organizations and institutions such as the Commission of the European Communities, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Council of Europe. 3. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean 225. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which includes the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) and the Latin American Demographic Centre (CELADE), focused on the promotion of sustainable growth with equity. Two major publications were produced and presented to the Commission at its twenty-fourth session, in April 1992, and were subsequently given wide distribution. The first publication, entitled Social Equity and Changing Production Patterns: An Integrated Approach, explores how the region's countries can advance simultaneously in sustainable growth with greater equity. It has been hailed by policy makers as an important conceptual contribution to development economics. The second publication was prepared jointly with UNESCO, under the title Education and Knowledge: Basic Pillars of Changing Production Patterns with Social Equity; it highlights the crucial importance of those topics for increasing levels of productivity and improved equity. 226. CELADE also helped to disseminate demographic knowledge among the Governments of the region by organizing the Meeting of Government Experts on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, which was held in Saint Lucia in October 1992. 227. The fourteenth and fifteenth meetings of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean were held in Curaçao in June 1992, and at Mexico City in October 1992. 228. With regard to the integration of women into the economic and social development of Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC undertook preparatory activities for the Fourth World Conference on Women. ECLAC has already begun activities related to the preparation of the new regional programme of action for women in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1995-2001, and is preparing a diagnosis of the status of women that substantively incorporates this question into the new ECLAC proposal on changing production patterns with social equity. 229. The Social Development Division concentrated its efforts on preparing technical documents for the Third Regional Conference on Poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean, held at Santiago in November 1992. 230. The Commission continues its permanent role in monitoring economic events in the region. The formal expression of its work is found in the Preliminary Overview of the Economy of Latin America and the Caribbean, published with up-to-date indicators in December of each year, and in the Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean. ECLAC also continues to be the main forum for economic and social affairs in the region, and the Latin American Centre for Economic and Social Documentation is strengthening information management in the region. 231. The Commission has undertaken numerous technical cooperation activities, at the request of member States, to assist Governments in the formulation and implementation of policies and plans for economic and social development within the overall strategy of changing production patterns with social equity. 232. ECLAC co-sponsored the Regional Preparatory Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean (San José, January 1993) for the World Conference on Human Rights and provided technical support to several presidential forums, including the Meeting of Heads of State of Central America and Panama (Panama, December 1992), the Heads of State of the Rio Group (Buenos Aires, December 1992) and the third Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government (San Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, July 1993). 4. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 233. On 9 April 1993, I was present when His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej officially opened the new United Nations Conference Centre at Bangkok, where the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has its offices. 234. Regional economic cooperation is gaining ever greater momentum in the ESCAP region. At the same time, subregional organizations are being revitalized and are focusing, in particular, on the development of infrastructure within their respective subregions. The newer forms of economic cooperation are transcending the deeply embedded constraints of the cold war; the States involved in the Viet Nam war, for example, are now entering into the mainstream of development efforts in the region. 235. Under the revised intergovernmental structure, the first session of the Committee for Regional Economic Cooperation was convened at Bangkok in October 1992, while the first session of its Steering Group was held at New Delhi in November 1992. The Steering Group considered and adopted an action programme for regional economic cooperation in trade and investment, which was submitted, through the Committee, to the Commission at its forty-ninth session. 236. The Fourth Asian and Pacific Population Conference was held in Bali in August 1992. The Conference, sponsored by ESCAP and UNFPA, considered and adopted the Bali Declaration on Population and Sustainable Development, which will serve as the basis for policy-making and programming. 237. The period since August 1992 has been one of transition for ESCAP from a sectoral to a thematic approach, in terms of both the Commission's subsidiary intergovernmental structure and its programmes. Considerable attention has been paid to evolving thematic subprogrammes on regional economic cooperation, poverty alleviation through economic growth and social development, and environment and sustainable development in response to this shift in approach. During the same period, ESCAP activities have focused increasingly on the social dimensions of development. At the forty-ninth session of the Commission, in April 1993, 3 of the 10 resolutions adopted related to areas of social concern. 238. In December 1992, ESCAP convened the Meeting to Launch the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, at Beijing. At that Meeting, the Proclamation on the Full Participation and Equality of People with Disabilities in the Asian and Pacific Region and the Agenda for Action for the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 1993-2002, were considered and adopted. 239. The Special Body on Pacific Island Developing Countries held its first session at Bangkok in February 1993. The Special Body emphasized, inter alia, the importance of international trade and investment for the island economies and recommended the strengthening of finance, investment and trade links between them and the more dynamic economies of the ESCAP region. The secretariat has issued various research-oriented publications pertinent to the development of the Pacific island developing countries, including Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategies in the Pacific Island Least Developed Countries: Issues and Policy Options and The Law of the Sea in the South Pacific: A Study on the Integration of Marine Affairs Activities within Government Concerns. 240. A study of the theme topic "Expansion of investment and intraregional trade as a vehicle for enhancing regional economic cooperation and development in Asia and the Pacific", presented in part two of the Economic and Social Survey for Asia and the Pacific, 1992, assessed the contribution of the trade-investment nexus to the process of industrial restructuring in the ESCAP region. 241. Measures have been taken to reinforce the functional relationship between ESCAP and various United Nations organizations and bodies with a view to undertaking a coordinated approach to problem-solving and rendering assistance to the member States. In addition to meetings held in recent months by the various inter-agency mechanisms, including the Inter-agency Committee on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, the Inter-agency Committee on Integrated Rural Development and the Inter-agency Task-Force on Water for Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP has been seeking to develop greater linkages and cooperative frameworks with other regional bodies. In that context, special focus has been placed on strengthening the relationship between ESCAP and organizations such as the Association of South-East Asian Nations, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the South Pacific Forum secretariat, the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, as well as with financial institutions such as the Asian Development Bank. 5. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia 242. In the post-cold-war era, as the world moves towards global economic management, and as conflict and cooperation battle for dominance, the challenges to the region of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) increase in intensity and scope. The ESCWA region may also be considered a region in transition. It is at the cross-roads between the politics and cultures of the East and the West, a region searching to assert the identity of its people, to protect its internal and external sovereignty, and to withstand internal and external pressures. A most serious challenge to the political stability of the region is the eruption of new forms of extremism. Political instability, uncertainty and unpredictability continue to plague the region and to exercise a preponderant influence on its peace, development and security prospects. These imminent challenges need to be tackled swiftly and surely. 243. The physical destruction and damage to the environment, the problems of returnees and pressures on the labour markets and the infrastructure, the instability in oil prices, the decline of recurrent financial transfers in aid and remittances, continued sanctions against Iraq and their adverse impact on neighbouring countries represent enormous challenges to the ESCWA region. 244. These crisis-related challenges come on top of long-standing structural imbalances, such as the income disparities between and within countries; the uneven distribution of energy resources at the regional level; inadequate energy supply, water shortages, desertification, and lack of food security and transport linkages in many rural and remote areas; vulnerability to fluctuations in oil prices; and external indebtedness. 245. In its desire to contribute to efforts to redress some of the worst physical and social ravages of the Gulf crisis, as well as man-made and natural disasters, the Commission at its sixteenth session, in September 1992, declared the period 1994-2003 a Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Decade for Western Asia. To streamline regional action, and in collaboration with the League of Arab States, ESCWA set up an inter-agency Joint Committee for Environment and Development in the Arab Region in April 1993. In addition, ESCWA is in the process of establishing a regional water council to coordinate activities for a more efficient use of scarce water resources. To that end, a regional inter-agency consultative mechanism was formed for water and environment which would serve as the nucleus for a regional administrative coordination committee. 246. The secretariat participated in the formulation of a plan of action to combat desertification region-wide. The Second Amman Declaration on Population and Development of April 1993 is an instrument to promote regional cooperation and to assist member States in dealing with population issues and population movements. In the area of transport, ESCWA is heavily involved in activities related to the Transport and Communications Decade in Western Asia (1985-1994). To help bridge the widening technological gap, ESCWA focused on the formulation of policies and measures to increase the effectiveness of the technology factor in the investment process. To overcome the lack of timely, reliable and replicable statistics and data, ESCWA set up the Committee on Statistics as a subsidiary body of the Commission. 247. In addition to preparing studies and convening intergovernmental and expert group meetings, ESCWA provided technical assistance and advisory services to member States to assist them in meeting challenges and formulating action-oriented policies. For example, the Commission convened an expert group meeting on the operation of enterprises under severe and fast-changing conditions. Other meetings were convened on the creation of indigenous entrepreneurship, especially to train returnees, and on unemployment as one of the major challenges facing society. Training activities were introduced as pilot projects to allow women to cope with their multiple roles and contribute to production. ESCWA also assisted in meeting the needs for rural energy through the introduction of biogas technology in selected countries of the region. 248. Under the auspices of ESCWA, a multi-disciplinary task force on the Palestinian people and the occupied Arab territories was set up to deal with socio-economic issues emanating from the Israeli occupation and the implications of a peace settlement for countries of the region. The task force will also provide technical assistance to the Palestinian people. 249. The most important obstacles facing the Commission in fulfilling its mandate remain the uncertainty and political instability in the region, which have caused interruption in its activities and its relocation several times in the recent past. They have also contributed to the rifts among countries of the region and the set-backs in cooperation to which failures in the region's performance and inadequate rapport between member States and the secretariat are attributed. These in turn have caused a dwindling of extrabudgetary funding and a paucity of resources to address emerging needs and, consequently, inadequate regional coordination and harmonization in implementing projects of a regional scope. D. Protection of human rights 1. Centre for Human Rights 250. In the course of 1993, the activities of the Centre for Human Rights at Geneva underwent a significant expansion in the five main areas of its work: research, standard-setting and prevention of discrimination; implementation of international standards; special procedures; communications; and advisory services and information. 251. On 1 January 1993, I appointed an Assistant Secretary-General to head the Centre for Human Rights, with responsibility for dealing exclusively with human rights issues, to report directly to me. The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights is responsible in particular for developing coherent policies and strengthening coordination in the field of human rights, and he serves as a focal point for United Nations relations with regional organizations on human rights matters. 252. The World Conference on Human Rights, in June 1993, asked for an immediate increase in the Centre's resources from the regular budget. The Conference indicated clearly that those resources should support the work of the Centre in fulfilling its many urgent mandates, provide for the implementation of the fact-finding procedures of the Commission on Human Rights, ensure the functioning of the treaty bodies and provide sufficient resources to the advisory services programme to enable it to respond to requests by States for assistance. The Conference also called for increased contributions to the voluntary funds supporting advisory services and activities in favour of indigenous people and against racial discrimination. Those matters will be addressed in my budget proposals for the biennium 1994-1995. 2. World Conference on Human Rights 253. The World Conference on Human Rights, which was held at Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, was a turning-point in United Nations activities for the promotion and protection of human rights. The Conference was the culmination of three years of intense activity by all segments of the international community directed at reviewing past progress in the protection of human rights, identifying obstacles to further progress and charting the course of action for the coming years. 254. The Vienna Conference and its preparatory process were world wide, in terms both of the subjects dealt with and of participation. Three regional meetings, held at Tunis, San José and Bangkok, preceded the Conference, as did hundreds of other meetings around the world. Representatives from 172 States took part in the discussions at Vienna together with observers from 95 international organizations, human rights bodies and national human rights institutions and from 840 non-governmental organizations. A high level of expertise, and a clear commitment to human rights on the part of the participants, contributed to the success of the debates. Long and careful exchanges of view revealed considerable common ground among the different participants. The Conference was therefore able to adopt by consensus a declaration and programme of action of historic proportions, but differences of opinion were also candidly stated. 255. The Vienna Conference reaffirmed the universality of fundamental human rights and the principle that the human person is the central subject of human rights, should be the principal beneficiary and should participate actively in the realization of human rights. But the Conference did not deal with the question solely at a theoretical level: it also called for effective action to secure the human rights of every individual on a universal basis. The Conference also recognized the right to development as a human right and the mutually reinforcing interrelationship between democracy, development and respect for human rights, and the need to assist developing countries in their democratization process. It also clearly established the link between universality and equality, and stressed the need to eliminate all discrimination based on race and similar factors. The Conference provided substantive guidance for the United Nations in its future work in this area and called for world-wide action against discrimination and in favour of tolerance. 256. There was also notable progress in two other areas. The Conference stressed that priority should be given to action to secure the full and equal enjoyment by women of all human rights: respect for women's rights must be integrated into the overall human rights programme and into development activities. Special attention must be given to protecting women and girl children from violence and other human rights violations which threaten them particularly. The Conference called for universal ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women by the year 2000, and the drafting of an optional protocol to that Convention to permit individual complaints of violations of women's rights to be considered. 257. The need to act effectively to protect the rights of children, including children in especially difficult circumstances and the girl child, was another step forward. All competent organs are being asked to review and monitor progress in protecting children's rights and the year 1995 has been set as the target for the universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 258. Another important step forward was the recognition of the rights of persons with disabilities and of the need to take specific measures to protect vulnerable groups, including migrant workers, and to ensure that they participate in the search for solutions to their own problems. The human rights dimensions of extreme poverty and exclusion were also recognized, as was the need to deal not only with human rights violations but also with their causes. In this context the Conference called for national and international action on a priority basis to eliminate specific obstacles to the enjoyment of human rights. 259. During this International Year for the World's Indigenous People, the Vienna Conference recognized the inherent dignity and unique contribution of indigenous people, reaffirmed the international community's commitment to their well-being, and reiterated the obligation of States to ensure respect for their rights. 260. A key result of the Conference was the widespread acceptance of the need for cooperation between Governments, the United Nations, other international organizations, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations. An effective partnership involving all those actors is essential for the effective promotion and protection of human rights. 261. The Vienna Conference recognized the increasingly important contribution non-governmental organizations can play in human rights activities, especially in relation to development and human rights. One of the most important achievements of the Conference was its success in harnessing the energies of hitherto untapped grass-roots organizations, particularly from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. 262. The importance of human rights to United Nations activities in the fields of peacemaking, peace-keeping and preventive diplomacy, and in social and economic development, was also amply demonstrated by the Vienna Conference. The inclusion of the human rights dimension in the planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes and projects in those areas will be important to their success and to the promotion of human rights. 263. Increased attention is to be given to implementing economic, social and cultural rights through, in particular, the drafting of optional protocols to the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the use of indicators. 264. Education was repeatedly stressed as a crucial element in building future respect for human rights. By adopting a concrete and practical approach it should be possible for human rights to be included in teaching programmes in all countries, both in schools and in programmes for those who are not in school. 265. The Vienna Conference reaffirmed that efforts to eradicate torture should be concentrated on prevention, and called for the early adoption of an optional protocol to the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to allow regular visits to places of detention. It also recommended that States should abrogate legislation leading to impunity for those responsible for torture. 266. The role of the United Nations in the promotion and protection of human rights must be strengthened, renewed and revitalized if the promises of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action are to be kept. International coordination and cooperation were seen at Vienna as crucial for improving respect for human rights. United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, regional intergovernmental organizations and national human rights institutions all have important contributions to make in this overall coordinated approach. 267. The Centre for Human Rights was identified as the focal point for global cooperation for human rights. The Conference called for an annual United Nations coordination meeting at a high level as one element in this approach. Close cooperation will also have to be established with other key actors. 268. The Vienna Conference recognized that future progress would depend in large part on the availability of assistance to countries engaged in improving and strengthening their protection of human rights. An overall United Nations approach was called for, enabling States to strengthen democratic institutions and the rule of law, to protect minority rights and those of indigenous peoples, and to hold democratic elections. The programme of advisory services and technical assistance in the field of human rights has been given specific new and wide-ranging responsibilities in helping to improve respect for human rights. 269. The United Nations must be able to respond rapidly and professionally to allegations of human rights violations and to service adequately the machinery set up for that purpose. We must at the same time seek ways of improving the operation and impact of those mechanisms. 270. The Vienna Conference also proposed that United Nations activities in human rights be given greater focus by means of three decades for action: one relating to indigenous people, one for education and human rights and one against racism and racial discrimination. The General Assembly, in addition, has before it the Conference's proposal for a United Nations decade for human rights. 3. Implementation of human rights conventions 271. The Vienna Conference set universal ratification of the basic international human rights treaties as an important objective. In 1998 the follow-up review of the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action will give special attention to the progress made towards universal ratification. 272. As at 7 September 1993, the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination has been ratified by 137 States and the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid by 97 States. Of the two 1966 Human Rights Covenants, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has been ratified by 125 States and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by 123 States. The 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women has been ratified by 126 States, and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child by 146 States. 273. The level of ratification of other conventions is most unsatisfactory, however. So far, only 76 States have ratified the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; only 56 States have ratified the 1985 International Convention against Apartheid in Sports; only 2 States have ratified the 1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; and the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty, adopted by the General Assembly on 15 December 1989, has been ratified by only 19 States. 274. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I strongly urge States to ratify all human rights treaties. To that end, I intend to open a dialogue with Member States to identify and to try to overcome the obstacles to ratification. I also believe that regional organizations have a positive role to play in making States more aware of this issue. 275. The process of democratization cannot be separated from the protection of human rights. More precisely, the effective safeguarding of human rights is possible only in a democratic framework. It is therefore not possible to separate the United Nations promotion of human rights from the global trend towards democratization. FIGURE 6 Expenditures of funds and programmes administered by the United Nations Development Programme, 1982-1992 (Millions of United States dollars) FIGURE 7 Core resources of the United Nations Development Programme, 1982-1992 (Millions of United States dollars) "... to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace" Charter of the United Nations, Article 1, paragraph 1 IV. EXPANDING PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY, HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION A. Implementing an Agenda for Peace 276. On 18 December 1992 the General Assembly, in its resolution 47/120, welcomed my report entitled "An Agenda for Peace" and encouraged me to pursue my efforts in preventive diplomacy. The Assembly also invited me to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat for the collection of information and analysis to serve better the early-warning needs of the Organization. The informal open-ended working group established by the Assembly has continued to discuss other recommendations contained in my report, which has also been considered by the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization and the Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations. 277. The Security Council held monthly meetings between October 1992 and May 1993 to examine specific proposals made in "An Agenda for Peace". Eight statements by the President were issued as part of this process. On 15 June 1993, I submitted a report (A/47/965-S/25944) on the implementation of the recommendations contained in "An Agenda for Peace". An interdepartmental task force was also set up to propose further measures for implementing those recommendations. 278. In "An Agenda for Peace", I set out some definitions of the range of peace operations undertaken by the United Nations across the world. Preventive diplomacy is action to prevent disputes from arising between parties, to prevent existing disputes from escalating into conflicts and to limit the spread of the latter when they occur. Peacemaking is action to bring hostile parties to agreement, essentially through such peaceful means as those foreseen in Chapter VI of the Charter of the United Nations. Peace-keeping is the deployment of a United Nations presence in the field, hitherto with the consent of all the parties concerned, normally involving United Nations military or police personnel and frequently civilians also. Peace-keeping is a technique that expands the possibilities for both the prevention of conflict and the making of peace. The concept of peace enforcement should be added here. It involves peace-keeping activities which do not necessarily involve the consent of all the parties concerned. Peace enforcement is foreseen in Chapter VII of the Charter. Peace-building is action to identify and support structures which will tend to strengthen and solidify peace so as to avert a relapse into conflict. Preventive diplomacy seeks to resolve disputes before violence breaks out; peacemaking and peace-keeping, and sometimes peace enforcement, are required to halt conflicts and preserve peace once it is attained. If successful, they strengthen the opportunity for post-conflict peace-building, which can prevent the recurrence of violence among nations and peoples. In practice, the various steps of peace operations are intertwined and may be performed simultaneously and in parallel. B. Preventive diplomacy 279. Once an elusive and undefined concept, preventive diplomacy is now becoming understood as a vital field for practical action. New forms of preventive diplomacy have evolved in the course of the past year; it incorporates efforts designed to prevent the occurrence of armed conflict, such as fact-finding, good offices and goodwill missions, the dispatch of special envoys to tense areas, and efforts to bring parties to a potential conflict to the negotiating table. Today, the variety of challenges faced by the United Nations has led to a more intensive and creative use of such familiar techniques. 280. I find myself frequently engaged in preventive diplomacy. Because of the nature of this work, and the requirements of the parties, such diplomacy often takes place behind the scenes. When efforts fail, the results will be seen in public. When there is success, the story must often remain untold. Preventive diplomacy takes place continuously and can range from a brief telephone conversation to the movement of military units. 281. More than 100 missions of representation, fact-finding and goodwill offices to various countries were undertaken on my behalf. I have myself travelled extensively to extend good offices and represent the Organization throughout the world. A catalogue of all the missions undertaken by myself and on my behalf would be too long to include here. Suffice it to state that, between August 1992 and July 1993, I held high-level talks in 27 countries, visiting many of them more than once. Some examples of action taken during the past year will illustrate the nature of this field of endeavour and its new dimensions. 1. South Africa: observers 282. For the first time, civilian United Nations observers have been sent to a country with the consent of the Government, to assist the authorities of that country and the conflicting parties in what is purely a domestic matter: containing the level of violence. The country in question is South Africa. This is a significant breakthrough and could serve as a useful precedent in similar situations elsewhere. 283. The Security Council, in its resolution 772 (1992), authorized me to deploy United Nations observers. I appointed Angela King as Chief of the United Nations Observer Mission in South Africa; she took up her post on 23 September 1992. The observers, together with observers from other organizations, including the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the Commonwealth and the European Community, have worked in close cooperation with the National Peace Committee, the National Peace Secretariat and the Commission of Inquiry regarding the Prevention of Public Violence and Intimidation to reduce tensions, contain demonstrations and stop clashes from getting out of control. There are now 49 United Nations observers in South Africa. After an initial mission undertaken on my behalf by Cyrus Vance, I designated two special envoys, Virendra Dayal and Tom Vraalsen, who visited South Africa. On the basis of their findings, I submitted on 22 December 1992 a second report on the question of South Africa (S/25004), in which I noted that distinct progress had been made in implementing the recommendations set out in my report of 7 August 1992 (S/24389). 284. I have been in personal contact with President F. W. de Klerk, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Mr. Clarence Makwetu, Mr. Nelson Mandela and other South African leaders to assist in the strengthening of the structures set up under the National Peace Accord. I also addressed letters to leaders of the homelands. The decision to hold South Africa's first-ever free elections in accordance with the principles of universal suffrage opens the way for the country's transition to a democratic and non-racial society, an objective which has defined United Nations involvement in South Africa. The level of violence continues, however, to be a source of serious concern. 2. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 285. In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, for the first time ever in United Nations history, military units have been deployed as a measure of preventive diplomacy. The Security Council, in resolution 795 (1992), authorized me to establish a presence of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on the borders with Albania and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro). That act of preventive deployment was taken out of concern to avert a wider Balkan war. There are currently just under 1,000 peace-keepers in the region in addition to a small group of United Nations civilian police. At the same time, the United Nations is providing emergency relief assistance to the 900,000 persons displaced by the conflict. A consolidated appeal for $78 million has been launched for this humanitarian programme. 286. Under United Nations auspices, Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are engaged in talks intended to reduce the tensions brought about by the recognition of the independence of the latter. The Co-Chairmen of the Steering Committee of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia have presented to the representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia a draft treaty prepared on the basis of extensive consultations with the two sides. Part A of the draft treaty includes a number of special provisions designed to promote friendly relations and to set up confidence-building measures, while parts B to E set out provisions for friendship and neighbourly cooperation appropriate to the interaction of two adjoining States establishing relations for the first time. 287. At the time of the deployment of UNPROFOR, the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was gravely concerned about an external security threat. The presence of UNPROFOR and the admission to membership in the United Nations of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have contributed to alleviating those fears. In this connection, the strengthening of UNPROFOR under Security Council resolution 842 (1993) is a welcome development. 288. On 18 June the Security Council, in resolution 845 (1993), urged Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to continue their efforts, under my auspices, to arrive at a speedy settlement of remaining issues between them. I have appointed Cyrus Vance to exercise good offices on my behalf. 3. Preventive humanitarian action 289. Frequently, situations of humanitarian need provide indications of impending conflict even before they develop into more serious threats to international peace and security. Early awareness of the root causes of conflict can allow appropriate preventive action to be taken. The provision of humanitarian assistance for such preventive purposes has made it possible to contain the impact of some emergencies. One such success has been the joint United Nations-Southern Africa Development Community drought emergency in southern Africa programme, under which comprehensive measures to mitigate the effects of the drought, minimize the potential population displacement and avert famine were put into place in 10 countries of the region. 290. Another type of preventive humanitarian action is the strengthening of the national capacity of disaster-prone countries. I fully support action taken to integrate disaster prevention and preparedness activities into the mainstream development projects of organizations of the United Nations system within the framework of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. For other emergencies which result from long-term economic deterioration, or slow-moving natural disasters such as drought, early humanitarian preventive action can save thousands of lives and millions of dollars in subsequent remedial action. 291. An inter-agency early-warning mechanism for examining possible situations of mass population displacement is being managed by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs. One of its purposes is to assist in determining when preventive humanitarian action may be appropriate. C. Peace-keeping in a changing context 292. Just as preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution, familiar responsibilities of the United Nations, have taken on new dimensions, so the term peace-keeping now stretches across a heretofore unimagined range of United Nations activities and responsibilities. 293. Peace-keeping is a United Nations invention. The concept is, however, not a static one, but is ever changing; in order to succeed, and to reflect the changing needs of the community of States, peace-keeping has to be reinvented every day. Each case in which United Nations peace-keepers are involved draws upon the fund of experience, imagination and professionalism of the Organization. It is not an exaggeration to state that today there are as many types of peace-keeping operations as there are types of conflict. 294. The task of peace-keeping, like that of peacemaking, is subject to an essential constraint: for peace-keeping to succeed, the parties to a conflict must have the necessary political will. Peace-keeping, even more than peacemaking, requires the adherence of the conflicting parties to the principle of peaceful resolution of conflicts, in other words, to the Charter itself. 295. Traditional assumptions relating to the upholding of agreements, the consent and cooperation of the parties and the minimum use of force have all been under challenge from recent developments in certain peace-keeping operations. United Nations peace-keepers have been sent to areas where there are no agreements, where Governments do not exist or have limited effective authority and where the consent and cooperation of the parties cannot be relied upon. All too frequently, their work is obstructed by well-armed irregular groups and warlords who defy both their national authorities, where these exist, and the international community. 296. Some 80,000 civilian and military personnel now serve in 17 United Nations peace-keeping operations across the world (see figures 8 and 9). If additional operations and troop reinforcements at present under consideration are implemented, the total could rise to 100,000 by the end of 1993. Today, peace-keepers perform a variety of complex tasks, such as protecting humanitarian aid convoys, supporting the supervision of elections and monitoring human rights, in addition to their basic responsibility of keeping apart the warring parties. Keeping the peace, therefore, is only a step in the process of the peaceful resolution of conflicts. It should not be confused with conflict resolution. Putting a halt to armed hostilities is not in itself a solution of the conflicts. It offers temporary respite from hostilities, while the crisis is being resolved in the political, humanitarian, economic and social spheres. 297. One key aspect of the new generation of United Nations peace-keeping operations is the role of public information in promoting understanding and generating support at both the national and the international levels. That support can be built only on a clear understanding of why a particular mission has been sent to a specific area, and how the mission plans to accomplish its objectives. In the atmosphere of heightened tension in conflict areas, public information activities play a vital role in facilitating the mission's work by disseminating timely and objective information, and counteracting propaganda and misinformation. Effective public information activities can also be instrumental in generating and sustaining the support of the international community for the success of the missions. In the absence of information from the United Nations there may be misunderstandings of the United Nations mandate, which can give rise to unwarranted criticism of the Organization's activities. 298. In June 1992, I was able to report that Member States were keen to participate in peace-keeping operations and that military observers and infantry were invariably available. This is no longer generally the case. Difficulties which were previously encountered only when specialized logistic units were sought now arise also in the case of infantry and military as well as police observers. 299. To deal with the increased demand for peace-keeping operations and the consequent shortage of peace-keepers, several steps have been taken: (a) I have invited Member States to designate qualified personnel for consideration for secondment to a peace-keeping operation; (b) A special planning team has been set up with the task of defining standard components from which different types of peace-keeping operations might be put together. The team has briefed delegations on its work and Member States have been invited to enter into discussions with the Secretariat about the components of peace-keeping operations which they would, in principle, be ready to provide; (c) I have accepted offers by Member States to make available peace-keeping personnel on loan; (d) It has become necessary to use the services of contractors for support activities for field operations normally performed by United Nations staff. 300. The respective roles of the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Peace-keeping Operations have, as indicated in section II above, been more clearly defined. The latter Department now incorporates the Field Operations Division and is being strengthened. It will be responsible for providing Headquarters technical and administrative support for integrated operations in the field including, as appropriate, peace-keeping, peacemaking, electoral or humanitarian components. This restructuring will enhance the planning, coordination and reporting of peace-keeping operations and ensure better delivery of services to the various United Nations operations. 301. A military planning cell has been formed within the Department of Peace-keeping Operations, with military staff on loan from Member States. A situation room, staffed by military officers, has been created to enable the competent Departments to maintain a continuous link with operations in Somalia and the former Yugoslavia. I am considering an integrated situation room which would cover United Nations peace-keeping world wide in all its aspects. 302. The growth in peace-keeping has profoundly affected the operations of the Organization (see figure 10). Every administrative entity in the Secretariat has been required to assign staff to one or more of the peace-keeping operations. As I reported in section II above, the staff members remaining have had to perform the tasks previously carried out by their absent colleagues. Demands have grown so much that it is now no longer possible to fill all the positions within the Secretariat or in the field with existing Secretariat staff, and substantial additional staff will be required, since staff on loan from Member States cannot be used to establish permanent structures. 303. I am conscious of the mounting cost of peace-keeping and the burden this entails for Member States. I welcome, therefore, General Assembly resolution 47/217, by which the Assembly authorized a Peace-keeping Reserve Fund of $150 million, which, when fully funded, will enhance the Organization's ability to respond to new crises. I hope that the General Assembly will consider favourably, at its forty-eighth session, my proposal that it appropriate one third of the estimated cost of each new peace-keeping operation as soon as it is established by the Security Council. I have also asked the Assembly to encourage the inclusion of peace-keeping contributions in national defence budgets. I should like to restate here that, in accordance with the Charter and the relevant General Assembly resolutions, financing of peace-keeping is the collective responsibility of all Member States. 304. One of the consequences of the delay in the payment of assessed contributions is that States contributing to peace operations are themselves reimbursed only after long delays. As a result, certain Member States have had to withdraw their contingents from peace-keeping operations. 305. I have proposed the setting-up of a reserve, revolving stock of equipment to be drawn on for ongoing operations. The subsequent replenishment would be charged to the accounts of specific operations. 306. The rapid rise in demand for peace-keeping operations, together with the expansion in their scope and nature, has highlighted the urgent need to develop and maintain uniform high standards for peace-keeping. Training manuals are now being prepared for troops, military observers and civilian police. The object is to create an international pool of peace-keeping personnel with comparable skills, knowledge, discipline and code of conduct, able to work together effectively at short notice. 307. An issue to which I attach the greatest importance is the safety and security of peace-keeping personnel. As the United Nations takes on more complex and riskier mandates, the safety and security of United Nations troops and other personnel have become increasingly important. Since United Nations peace-keeping operations began, 949 peace-keepers have lost their lives. More than 550 have died in ongoing missions (see figure 11). At the request of the Security Council I have prepared a report on existing arrangements for the protection of United Nations forces and personnel and the adequacy of those arrangements. I take this opportunity to reaffirm my faith in the professionalism of United Nations peace-keeping forces and my appreciation of their courage. They have performed their difficult tasks admirably, often at the cost of life and limb, in a variety of difficult and often unfamiliar circumstances. The sacrifice of those who have lost their lives will not be forgotten by the international community. D. New departures in peace operations 308. The past 12 months have shown that it is not possible to draw clear lines between the different aspects of today's peace operations. Each of the cases which follow will highlight one or more of the aspects of peace operations in all their diversity; in some, nearly every technique and activity available has to be employed across the board. 1. Afghanistan 309. The goal of establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan is still far from being achieved. The newly established Islamic State of Afghanistan has not yet, despite considerable efforts, succeeded in developing the political and security conditions necessary for the urgent tasks of reconstruction and rehabilitation and the return of refugees. My Personal Representative, Sotirios Mousouris, as head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan, is facilitating humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. He also, as head of the Office of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan and Pakistan, continues to monitor political developments there. It is my hope that the steps taken recently towards the implementation of the two peace accords reached over the past seven months will create the necessary conditions for a stable political process and the peaceful reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country. 310. The question of relations between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is crucial for peace and security in the region. I discuss this question in paragraphs 397 to 401 below. 2. Angola 311. The case of Angola illustrates the way in which United Nations peace-keepers have had to take on a multiplicity of roles. The United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM II) had the responsibility of monitoring the cease-fire and demobilization arrangements in the country. In addition, UNAVEM II was entrusted with witnessing the balloting in the country's first multi-party elections after years of devastating civil war. The electoral component of UNAVEM II was approved by the Security Council on 24 March 1992, and its deployment began in April 1992. The registration and campaign processes were monitored by 98 international staff members in 5 regional headquarters and 18 provincial offices. During the period that followed, approximately 400 observers verified the process. In April 1992, a team of consultants provided substantive technical assistance and support to the electoral authorities, in close coordination with the European Community and the United States Agency for International Development. They contributed to the organization of a massive operation, involving a large number of planes and helicopters, for the transport of electoral material to areas of difficult access. Legislative elections and the first round of the presidential elections took place on 29 and 30 September 1992. Despite the Mission's assessment of the electoral process as fair, the results were not recognized by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), which resumed hostilities, thereby precipitating a grave political and humanitarian crisis. 312. Since the resumption of hostilities, UNAVEM II has been engaged once more in peacemaking activities in addition to its role of protecting access for relief assistance. I have been vigorously pressing the parties, in particular UNITA, to re-establish a cease-fire and to return as soon as possible to the peace process in order to achieve national reconciliation. Meanwhile, it should be made clear that the illegal occupation by UNITA of many localities is not acceptable to the international community. 313. The situation faced by Angola is now more tragic than ever. The humanitarian crisis is reaching unprecedented proportions, and has been worsened by severe drought in the southern part of the country. Incidences of malnutrition and malnutrition-related diseases have increased, and medicine and medical supplies are frequently in short supply. It is estimated that drought, disease and civil war have severely disrupted the lives of at least 2 million Angolans, many of whom cannot be reached because of security constraints. 314. In May 1993, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs issued a consolidated inter-agency appeal for Angola, seeking $227 million in assistance for the one-year period ending in April 1994. At the conference of donors held at Geneva on 3 June, initial contributions of approximately $70 million were registered. The humanitarian crisis in Angola is at least as serious as that in Somalia; unfortunately the assistance programme in Angola has received much less financial support from the international community. 315. The United Nations has taken a number of measures to strengthen its humanitarian assistance capacity and better coordinate the efforts of all concerned, including the non-governmental organizations participating in the relief effort. The functions and responsibilities of my Special Representative for Angola have been expanded to cover all emergency relief operations arising out of the present situation. A humanitarian coordination assistance unit, headed by a senior official with extensive operational experience, and reporting directly to the Special Representative, has been set up at Luanda. Continuing hostilities have caused the suspension of the organized voluntary repatriation of Angolans from Zaire and Zambia. Repeated efforts since May 1993 to launch an emergency relief programme for conflict-affected areas have been thwarted by security incidents and difficult negotiations over the destinations and means of delivery of humanitarian assistance. As in many similar situations, the Government and UNITA have been called upon to observe international humanitarian law to allow for the provision of relief assistance. 316. The Angolan political and military situation has continued to deteriorate dangerously as fighting has intensified and as the mistrust which has inhibited significant political accommodation has deepened. The possible consequences, both for Angola and for regional security, are more and more worrying. 317. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity, meeting at Cairo in June 1993, called on UNITA to resume the peace talks with the Government as soon as possible with a view to establishing a definitive cease-fire and ensuring the full implementation of the Peace Accords for Angola. I took the opportunity of my participation in that Assembly to consult extensively with President José Eduardo dos Santos and other African leaders on ways and means of advancing the peace process in Angola. 318. Alioune Blondin Beye took over as my Special Representative from Margaret Anstee on 30 June 1993. I am most grateful to Ms. Anstee for her work. She accomplished much, in the most difficult circumstances. 319. Since his arrival in Angola my Special Representative has been pursuing, at various levels, intensive consultations directed at resuming the peace talks under United Nations auspices with a view to the establishment of a cease-fire throughout the country and the full implementation of the Peace Accords. Those efforts have taken my Special Representative to Gabon, Namibia, Sao Tomé and Principe, Zaire and Zimbabwe. 320. In conformity with paragraph 1 of Security Council resolution 834 (1993), I have reduced the size of UNAVEM II to its current strength of 43 international civilian staff members, 50 military observers, 18 police observers and 11 military paramedical personnel, as well as necessary local staff. The activities of the military and police components of the Mission, which are currently deployed in four locations in addition to Luanda, consist essentially of patrolling, assessing the military situation, liaising with military and civilian officials, assisting in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population and participating in other humanitarian operations. Current staff and logistic resources are based on my assessment of the situation at the time Security Council resolution 834 (1993) was adopted. However, additional administrative support will be required at short notice if there is an increase in operations. 3. Armenia and Azerbaijan 321. In October 1992 I sent a fact-finding mission to Armenia and Azerbaijan to report on the situation there regarding the conflicts over Nagorny Karabakh, an enclave within Azerbaijan. In March 1993, the conflict escalated further when the Kelbadzhar district of Azerbaijan, between Armenia and Nagorny Karabakh, was occupied. That development resulted in a sudden increase in the number of displaced persons in Azerbaijan. 322. After the occupation of the Kelbadzhar district, the President of the Security Council made a statement on behalf of the Council, by which, inter alia, I was requested, in consultation with the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), to submit urgently a report to the Council regarding the situation on the ground. Following the submission of my report (S/25600), the Security Council, on 30 April 1993, adopted resolution 822 (1993), its first resolution on Nagorny Karabakh. Later in the year, following further fighting and occupation of Azerbaijani territory, the Council in its resolution 853 (1993) demanded the immediate cessation of all hostilities and the withdrawal of the occupying forces from Agdam and all other recently occupied areas of the Azerbaijani Republic. 323. In the conflict relating to Nagorny Karabakh, the role of the United Nations is essentially one of support for the efforts of CSCE. A United Nations observer has participated regularly in the discussions of the Minsk Group of CSCE, which has drawn up a timetable setting out urgent steps to be taken for achieving the withdrawal of occupying forces from Kelbadzhar and a solution in Nagorny Karabakh, with appropriate verification and monitoring. I remain committed to supporting the efforts of CSCE. 324. In December 1992, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, after consulting United Nations humanitarian agencies, launched a joint appeal for humanitarian assistance to both Armenia and Azerbaijan in the amount of $12 million. Following further requests for assistance from the Governments of the two countries, inter-agency needs assessments were organized and humanitarian needs amounting to $22.5 million for Armenia and $12.5 million for Azerbaijan were reported. Those assessments were discussed at meetings of donors held at Geneva on 10 and 11 June 1993. The humanitarian programmes are being implemented by UNICEF, WFP, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Health Organization (WHO), and cover the period from 1 July 1993 to 31 March 1994. UNHCR is providing assistance to some 50,000 persons displaced by the recent fighting. A further inter-agency needs assessment is being planned by the Department of Humanitarian Affairs to re-evaluate the humanitarian situation in Azerbaijan. 4. Cyprus 325. In March 1993, my Special Representative, Oscar Camilión, was recalled to the service of his Government after five years in the post. I wish to thank Mr. Camilión for all he has done to help bring lasting peace to Cyprus, notably his contribution to the Set of Ideas which remains the basis of my efforts to achieve a comprehensive political settlement of the conflict there. I appointed Joe Clark to succeed Mr. Camilión. 326. Peace-keeping efforts in Cyprus have long been hampered by the inadequacy of financial resources. On 27 May 1993, the Security Council, in its resolution 831 (1993), decided that with effect from the next extension of the mandate of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on or before 15 June 1993, those costs of the Force which are not covered by voluntary contributions should be treated as expenses of the Organization under Article 17, paragraph 2, of the Charter of the United Nations. 327. By its resolution 831 (1993) the Security Council also endorsed the restructuring plan proposed in paragraphs 16 to 19 of my report of 30 March 1993 (S/25492), with the addition of a limited number of observers for reconnaissance and with a view to further restructuring the Force in the light of a comprehensive reassessment of UNFICYP at the time of the consideration of the Force's mandate in December 1993. 328. Also, in resolution 831 (1993) the Security Council reaffirmed that the present status quo was not acceptable and expressed concern that the United Nations should not be entering into open-ended peace-keeping commitments. The restructuring of UNFICYP following successive reductions in strength has major implications for the two parties. Greater responsibility rests with them for ensuring that there is no increase in tension in Cyprus and that conditions can be maintained for a speedy overall agreement as envisaged by the Security Council. It is imperative that the two sides exercise maximum restraint and, in accordance with the package of confidence-building measures, extend without delay the 1989 unmanning agreement to all parts of the buffer zone where their forces remain in close proximity to each other. I urge both sides to take reciprocal measures to lower the tension, including mutual commitments, through UNFICYP, not to deploy along the cease-fire lines live ammunition or weapons (other than those which are hand held), and to prohibit firing of weapons within sight or hearing of the buffer zone. It is also necessary for both sides to work together so that their own agencies can resume the humanitarian functions which, in its efforts to restore normal conditions, UNFICYP has assumed over the years. 329. In the aftermath of the 1974 hostilities in Cyprus, peace-building has been an integral part of United Nations efforts. The confidence-building measures I recommended to the Security Council in November 1992 include the rehabilitation of the fenced area of Varosha as a special area for bicommunal contact and commerce, a kind of free-trade zone in which both sides could trade goods and services. In addition, Nicosia International Airport would be opened for civilian passenger and cargo traffic under the administration of the United Nations in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization. Both communities would have unrestricted use of the airport. Supported by my Special Representative, I am continuing my efforts to persuade the Turkish-Cypriot side to accept these proposals. In particular, I have held two rounds of talks in New York to bring the parties closer to agreement. 330. Some proposals for further confidence-building measures were also included in my report to the Security Council of 1 July 1993 (S/26026). They include cooperation on the short-term and the long-term water problem in Cyprus, cooperation on education to promote intercommunal harmony and friendship, joint cultural and sports events, meetings of political party leaders and of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of both sides, expert cooperation in areas such as health and the environment, and cooperative arrangements on electricity. It should be emphasized, however, that confidence-building measures, beneficial though they may be, should not be substituted for an overall solution, nor can they be part of a step-by-step approach to such a solution. Their purpose is to serve as a catalyst in the negotiations leading to a comprehensive, overall solution to the question of Cyprus. 5. East Timor 331. Good offices efforts for a comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to the question of East Timor are continuing. As indicated to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session (see A/47/435), the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia and Portugal, at my invitation, held informal consultations in New York on 26 September 1992. This was followed by two rounds of substantive discussions between the two Foreign Ministers under my auspices, the first in New York on 17 December 1992 and the second in Rome on 21 April 1993. A number of possible confidence-building measures, designed to create an atmosphere more propitious to addressing the core issues, were explored at those meetings. The discussions have continued in New York since April, at the Permanent Representative level. The next meeting between the two Foreign Ministers and myself will be held on 17 September in New York. My Personal Envoy, Amos Wako, was in Indonesia and East Timor from 3 to 9 April 1993. In May 1993 a United Nations observer attended the final stages of the trial at Dili, East Timor, of Xanana Gusmăo, the detained leader of the pro-independence movement, the Frente Revolucionaria de Timor Leste Independente (FRETILIN). 6. Georgia 332. In August 1992, fighting broke out in Abkhazia, Georgia. Since then, hostilities between Georgian and Abkhaz troops, supported by irregular units from the northern Caucasus region, have resulted in hundreds of casualties and thousands of refugees and displaced persons. In September and October 1992, I dispatched two United Nations fact-finding missions to Georgia and Abkhazia in support of and pursuant to the Moscow agreement of 3 September. After the second mission, with Security Council endorsement, two United Nations personnel remained in Georgia to provide an initial United Nations presence, with the tasks of maintaining continuing contact with all concerned, providing United Nations Headquarters with situation reports and acting as liaison. 333. Early in 1993, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs organized a United Nations inter-agency mission which visited all parts of Georgia. A consolidated appeal in the amount of $21 million was issued at the end of March. The appeal covered the needs of the affected population in Abkhazia, in Government-controlled areas of Georgia and, to a small extent, in South Ossetia. The overall humanitarian needs of Georgia will shortly be re-evaluated in view of the changing situation and in consultation with United Nations humanitarian organizations. 334. In view of the unabated fighting in Abkhazia at the beginning of May 1993, I appointed a Special Envoy, Edouard Brunner, to Georgia to revive the peace process; he undertook his first mission to the region from 20 to 31 May 1993. During that time, he also visited Stockholm, for consultations with the Chairman-in-Office of CSCE, and Moscow for discussions with the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation. In pursuance of paragraph 2 of Security Council resolution 849 (1993), I dispatched a planning team to the conflict area on 19 July 1993. The team returned to New York on 27 July 1993. 335. A cease-fire agreement, mediated by the Personal Representative of the President of the Russian Federation, Boris Pastukhov, was signed on 27 July 1993 by the Georgian and Abkhaz sides. My Special Envoy arrived in the region on 28 July, four hours after the cease-fire had entered into force. He stayed in the region until 31 July and had discussions with both parties to the conflict, and with officials from the Russian Federation. He held further discussions with Mr. Pastukhov and others in Moscow on 3 August. 336. I subsequently reported to the Security Council that I considered conditions to be right for the immediate deployment of United Nations observers to carry out functions envisaged in the cease-fire agreement. The readiness of the two parties to meet and talk with each other provides an opportunity that must not be missed. I have, accordingly, asked my Special Envoy to continue his efforts with a view to convening, before 15 September, a first round of negotiations under United Nations auspices, facilitated by the Russian Federation. 337. The Security Council, in resolution 854 (1993) approved the deployment of an advance team of up to 10 United Nations military observers to verify compliance with the cease-fire agreement. On 24 August 1993 the Security Council, in resolution 858 (1993) decided to establish a United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), comprising up to 88 military observers. 7. Guatemala 338. At the request of the Government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca, the United Nations has, since 1991, participated as an observer in negotiations directed at ending the longest war in Central America. The talks have been held in Mexico and focused throughout 1992 on the issue of human rights, the first of 11 items of the negotiation agenda. Both parties indicated their wish that the United Nations should verify the implementation of a future agreement on human rights. I made it clear that the United Nations stood ready to assist them in that area. 339. In early 1993, with a view to facilitating final agreement on the human rights issue and speeding up the negotiation process, the parties agreed to consider, simultaneously with the human rights issue, a calendar for the discussion of all outstanding agenda items and the possibility of an early cease-fire verified by the United Nations. Colombia, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela constituted a "Group of Friends" to promote agreement between the parties. That objective has so far proved to be elusive, however. 340. In recent months, on several occasions, the parties have expressed the wish that the format of the talks agreed in 1991 be altered, inter alia, to allow for a more prominent role by the United Nations in negotiations. I have stated that the United Nations is ready to continue its support for the negotiation process within a framework agreeable to both parties. 8. Haiti 341. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world: two thirds of its population lives below the poverty line. Since the coup d'état of September 1991, a trade embargo and a halt to bilateral assistance have been imposed on Haiti. 342. The search for a solution to the problems of Haiti has involved measures of diplomacy directed at nothing less than the restoration of freedom, democracy, just order and the potential for progress to an entire nation and State. 343. On 11 December 1992, I appointed Dante Caputo as my Special Envoy for Haiti. His appointment was in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 47/20 A of 24 November 1992, in which I was requested to take the necessary measures to assist, in cooperation with the Organization of American States (OAS), in the solution of the Haitian crisis. On 13 January 1993, Mr. Caputo was also appointed Special Envoy of OAS. He promoted negotiations to reach a political solution involving the return of the legitimate President and the restoration of the democratic process. The General Assembly, by its resolution 47/20 B of 20 April 1993, mandated United Nations participation, jointly with OAS in the International Civilian Mission to Haiti. By March 1993, the Mission had already been deployed throughout Haiti and, on 3 June, I submitted the first report of the Mission to the General Assembly (A/47/960 and Corr. 1). 344. On 16 June, by its resolution 841 (1993), the Security Council imposed sanctions on Haiti. Following talks held on Governors Island, New York, agreement was reached on 3 July 1993 on various measures relating to the return of the democratically elected President. 345. On 12 July and 13 August 1993 I reported to the Security Council on the Governors Island Agreement and the subsequent New York Pact, which provides for a six-month political truce and the resumption of the normal functioning of Parliament. In my report of 12 July, I recommended to the Council that the sanctions it had imposed by resolution 841 (1993) should be suspended as soon as the Prime Minister of Haiti had taken office. In my report of 13 August, I referred to the letter addressed to me by the President of the Security Council on 15 July 1993, confirming the readiness of the members of the Council to suspend the measures imposed by resolution 841 (1993) immediately after the ratification of the Prime Minister and his assumption of his functions in Haiti. 346. The Prime Minister-designate of Haiti, Robert Malval, was ratified by the Senate on 18 August 1993 and by the Chamber of Deputies on 23 August. He subsequently won a vote of confidence on his programme in the Senate on 24 August and in the Chamber of Deputies on 25 August. The process of confirmation of the Prime Minister-designate had thus been completed. On 27 August 1993, by its resolution 861 (1993), the Security Council decided that the sanctions were suspended. The Council also stated that the suspension would be immediately terminated if I were to inform it that the Governors Island Agreement had not been implemented in good faith. Furthermore, the Council stood ready to lift the sanctions definitively once it was informed that the relevant provisions of the Agreement had been fully implemented. 347. After being sworn in on 30 August, the Prime Minister travelled to Haiti the following day to assume his functions. Immediately after the return of President Aristide to Haiti on 30 October 1993, I shall report to the Security Council with a view to the sanctions being lifted definitively. 348. The Governors Island Agreement includes provision for United Nations assistance for modernizing the armed forces of Haiti and establishing a new police force with the presence of United Nations personnel in these fields. In a report to the Security Council on 25 August 1993 (S/26352) I outlined my plans in this regard. On 31 August, the Council, by its resolution 862 (1993), approved the dispatch of an advance team to prepare for the possible deployment of the proposed United Nations Mission to Haiti. 349. The "silent emergency" in Haiti has been a challenge for the humanitarian organizations of the United Nations system. The Organization of American States and the United Nations have made constant efforts to respond to the considerable humanitarian needs of the people. Central to this process has been the formulation of a joint United Nations/OAS comprehensive humanitarian plan of action in Haiti. The plan contains emergency programmes in the fields of health, nutrition and food aid, water supply and sanitation, and agriculture, as well as support services for those areas and education and other social services. The needs identified totalled $62.7 million. 350. Haiti should now be set on the path to a stable democratic future in which all Haitians will fully enjoy human, civil and political rights. I trust that the international community will be generous and forthcoming in providing Haiti with the technical and financial assistance needed for the reconstruction of its economy and its institutions, as well as moral and political support to the Haitian people in their search for a just, peaceful and prosperous society. 351. I wish here to place on record my gratitude for the support and assistance which I and the Special Envoy have received at all times since the beginning of the negotiating process, particularly during the negotiations at Governors Island, from the Governments of Canada, France, the United States of America and Venezuela, which formed a group of "Friends of the Secretary-General" for Haiti. Their invaluable support has been crucial to the successful completion of this stage of the process. 9. India and Pakistan 352. The United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has been monitoring the cease-fire in Jammu and Kashmir since 1949. In the Simla Agreement of 1972, the two countries affirmed their commitment to respecting the cease-fire line and to resolving the issue peacefully through negotiations. I have repeatedly urged both sides, in the context of preventive diplomacy, to find a peaceful solution to this difficult and complex problem. I have also expressed my readiness, should the two countries request it, to exert every possible effort to facilitate the search for a lasting solution. 10. Iraq and Kuwait 353. Another action was performed for the first time in history when the United Nations demarcated the boundary between two Member States, as part of its mandate to maintain international peace and security. The Security Council, in resolution 687 (1991), demanded respect for the boundary agreed by Iraq and Kuwait in 1963, called upon me to assist in arranging demarcation of that boundary, and decided to take, as appropriate, all necessary measures to guarantee the inviolability of the boundary. 354. On 2 May 1991, the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission was established, to demarcate the international boundary under the formula agreed in 1963. Both Iraq and Kuwait unconditionally accepted the terms of reference of the Commission, which was called upon to perform a technical and not a political task. During its 11 sessions, the Commission examined many sources, such as maps, graphics, aerial photographs, diplomatic correspondence, notes and archival documents. 355. That highly professional work has produced a precise, well-documented and verifiable demarcation of the entire boundary. It includes the off-shore area from the khawrs to the eastern end of the Khawr Abd Allah. A complete set of coordinates was produced, and boundary markers will clearly display the course of the line. Satellite technology has enabled the Commission to position each marker with a margin of error of only 1.5 cm. This would have been unthinkable only a few years ago. Other countries are already looking at this precedent to demarcate their boundaries. 356. The United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) has continued to operate in the demilitarized zone established by the Security Council on both sides of the Iraq-Kuwait boundary; that zone has been realigned to conform to the border as demarcated. The area of operation of UNIKOM has been generally calm except for a tense situation last January, following a series of actions by Iraq. Subsequently, the Security Council decided on a phased strengthening of UNIKOM, in the first phase by a mechanized infantry battalion. Owing to the greatly increased commitments by Member States to United Nations peace-keeping operations elsewhere, the Council's decision remains unfulfilled. 357. Because of the efforts of the Special Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iraq's ability to pose a threat to its neighbours by producing or possessing weapons of mass destruction has been steadily diminishing. However, Iraq has yet to fulfil its commitment to provide the full, final and complete disclosure of all aspects of its programmes that is needed to assess adequately its capabilities and facilities. A secure environment can be assured only through long-term monitoring and verification of Iraq's unconditional obligation not to use, retain, possess, develop, construct or otherwise acquire items prohibited under Security Council resolution 687 (1991). 358. Under resolution 687 (1991), the disposal of nuclear-weapons-usable materials in Iraq is required. Early in 1992, IAEA assembled a multi-disciplinary team, comprising experts from IAEA and representatives from the Special Commission and the Office of Legal Affairs, to implement that mandate. After lengthy negotiations a complex contract was concluded in late June 1993 with the Committee for International Relations of the Ministry of Atomic Energy (CIR-Minatom), a State entity of the Russian Federation, which provided for the removal and reprocessing of the materials and for the permanent storage of the resulting wastes. 359. With regard to the suffering of the Iraqi civilian population, the United Nations has continued to make every effort to assist those most in need, often at great personal risk to relief workers. The inter-agency humanitarian assistance programme in Iraq has, from April 1991 to March 1993, brought relief aid to the Iraqi civilian population throughout the country. The programme was developed in response to Security Council resolution 688 (1991), in which the Council recognized the pressing need for assistance, particularly to the 1.9 million Iraqis in the north and south of the country. To date, some $700 million have been raised through United Nations appeals to finance projects implemented by United Nations and non-governmental organizations. The humanitarian programmes in Iraq have been implemented within the framework of a series of memoranda of understanding which also provide for the deployment of the United Nations Guards Contingent in Iraq. The various phases of the programme share one goal, namely, a focus on meeting basic needs for food, water, medical drugs and equipment and shelter for Iraq's most vulnerable civilian population. 360. The Legal Counsel was requested on 19 May 1993 by the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established under resolution 661 (1990) to provide his opinion whether Iraq's frozen assets might be used as payment for the sale or supply to Iraq of medicine and health supplies, foodstuffs and materials and supplies for essential civilian needs approved by the Committee, within the scope of the pertinent Security Council resolutions, and, if so, under which conditions. The Legal Counsel responded by a letter dated 4 June 1993 to the Chairman of the Committee in which he reviewed the legal regime applicable to frozen Iraqi assets in the light of Security Council resolutions 661 (1990), 687 (1991), 706 (1991), 712 (1991) and 778 (1992). 361. At the end of June 1993, I met the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Tariq Aziz; a fourth round of talks between the United Nations Secretariat and the Government of Iraq was then held at United Nations Headquarters from 7 to 15 July 1993. The purpose was to reach an understanding on practical arrangements for the implementation of the scheme relating to the sale of Iraqi oil, provided for in Security Council resolutions 706 (1991) and 712 (1991), and in my report of 4 September 1991 (S/23006). Ten meetings were held during that round of talks. The delegation of the United Nations was led by the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel, and the delegation of Iraq by Riyadh Al-Qaysi, Under-Secretary-General at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. On 15 July 1993, the talks were suspended. 362. I continued to facilitate the return of Kuwaiti property seized by Iraq in accordance with paragraph 15 of Security Council resolution 687 (1991). I am pleased to report that, in carrying out this task, I received full cooperation from the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait. 363. The Commission established to administer the United Nations Compensation Fund provided for in paragraph 18 of Security Council resolution 687 (1991) has held four sessions since August 1992. The legal rules and procedures which govern the Commission's activities have been drawn up and approved. The first compensation commissioners have been appointed, and they will begin the examination and evaluation of the first category of claims in the next few months. 364. It may be recalled that, in accordance with Security Council resolution 706 (1991), the United Nations established an escrow account into which the proceeds of the sale of Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and voluntary contributions, were to be paid. As at 1 September 1993, approximately $195 million had been deposited in that account. The funds have been designated to pay for the costs of the Special Commission, the Compensation Fund, the return of all Kuwaiti property, the Boundary Commission and humanitarian activities in Iraq. 365. Recently a new programme of humanitarian assistance for the period from 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 has been prepared to provide rehabilitation assistance designed to limit further deterioration of living conditions throughout Iraq. The aim is to facilitate self-sufficiency by promoting community-level projects. That programme includes specific project proposals from various United Nations organizations and programmes amounting to $489 million. The programme's current lack of funding jeopardizes the implementation of crucial rehabilitation activities, thereby prolonging the state of dependency and degradation of the living conditions of the Iraqi Kurds and the other vulnerable population groups in the country. 366. On 1 September 1993 I met Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz to urge Iraqi compliance across the range of outstanding issues. 11. Lebanon 367. In southern Lebanon, there has been an increase in hostilities between Israeli forces and armed elements who have proclaimed their resistance to Israeli occupation. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has done its best to limit the conflict and to protect the inhabitants from its effects. In resolution 852 (1993), the Security Council reaffirmed the mandate of UNIFIL as defined in its resolution 425 (1978) and other relevant resolutions, which is to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restore international peace and security, and assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area. Although UNIFIL has not been able to make visible progress towards these objectives, its contribution to stability and the protection it is able to afford the population of the area remain important. 368. The volatility of the situation manifested itself in a particularly grave escalation of hostilities in July 1993 when, in response to rocket attacks against northern Israel, the Israeli Defence Forces launched massive air strikes against southern Lebanon. The fighting caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians; dozens of Lebanese villages were destroyed or damaged; countless homes, schools, hospitals, roads and bridges were demolished. On 30 July 1993, in a letter to the President of the Security Council, I drew attention to the fact that the hostilities had severely affected the operations of UNIFIL, whose mandate had been extended by the Security Council two days earlier. The heavy bombardment of the UNIFIL area of operations by Israeli aircraft and artillery had inter alia hit the Nepalese battalion headquarters and positions in the Irish and Finnish battalion sectors. Fortunately, there were no serious casualties. After the cessation of hostilities, units of the Lebanese army were deployed in parts of the UNIFIL area of operation for the purpose of maintaining public order. 369. In these circumstances, I requested the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs to act swiftly to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations system in the provision of emergency humanitarian assistance. A consolidated appeal for immediate assistance in the amount of $28.5 million was launched on 20 August. To start up urgent emergency work, advances of $5 million and $2 million from the Central Emergency Revolving Fund were made available to Habitat and WFP, respectively. 12. Liberia 370. In view of the ongoing conflict in Liberia and the continuing destruction and loss of life, the Security Council, in its resolution 788 (1992) of 19 November 1992, called upon all parties to the conflict in Liberia to respect and implement the cease-fire and the various accords of the peace process; decided, under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, that all States should, for the purposes of establishing peace and stability in Liberia, immediately implement a general and complete embargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Liberia, with the exception of weapons and military equipment destined for the sole use of the peace-keeping forces of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); and requested me to dispatch a Special Representative to Liberia to evaluate the situation. 371. In late 1992 and early 1993, my Special Representative, Trevor Gordon-Somers, visited Liberia and held extensive discussions there and in States members of ECOWAS. On the basis of his findings, I submitted a special report to the Security Council on 12 March 1993. The Council, in resolution 813 (1993) of 26 March 1993, reaffirmed its belief that the Yamoussoukro IV Accord offered the best possible framework for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Liberia and its support for increased humanitarian assistance to Liberia; demanded that the parties concerned refrain from any action that would impede or obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance; and called upon them to ensure the safety of all personnel involved in international humanitarian assistance. 372. After the discovery of the massacre of innocent displaced persons at Harbel on 6 June, the Security Council on 9 June 1993 requested me to commence an investigation and warned that those found responsible would be held accountable for the serious violation of international humanitarian law. My Special Representative proceeded to Monrovia to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident. Preliminary action was taken by other United Nations officials on the spot. Since the first stage of the investigation, and after consultations, I have appointed a panel of inquiry, which is now undertaking a more comprehensive investigation of the massacre. As soon as the investigation is completed, I shall submit a full report to the Security Council. 373. During the protracted conflict in Liberia, the United Nations provided assistance to over 700,000 Liberian refugees in neighbouring countries, to 100,000 internally displaced Liberians and to some 100,000 destitute Sierra Leoneans who had sought refuge in Liberia. As a result of the emergency relief programme which has been carried out by the United Nations and its non-governmental organization partners since December 1990, severe malnutrition has been eliminated except in isolated pockets, and the health of the population has improved significantly. However, since the resumption of hostilities in August 1992, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated. Masses of people have been displaced and large areas of the country have become inaccessible to relief agencies. 374. The conflicting parties agreed, at Geneva, after a week of negotiations conducted under the joint auspices of ECOWAS, OAU and the United Nations, to restore peace to the country. The peace agreement, which was signed on 25 July 1993 at an ECOWAS summit meeting at Cotonou, Benin, calls on the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to continue its peace-keeping role in Liberia and on the United Nations to play a monitoring role through the establishment of an observer mission. The agreement also provides for the establishment of a broadly based central transitional government, to be replaced by a democratically elected body within seven months. Agreement was also reached on the provision of humanitarian relief to all Liberians in need through the most direct routes, which has facilitated the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the affected population. United Nations organizations have been asked to initiate the rapid voluntary repatriation and reintegration from neighbouring countries of the more than 700,000 refugees. The Department of Humanitarian Affairs is preparing an inter-agency consolidated appeal for Liberia. 375. The Security Council, in its resolution 856 (1993) of 10 August 1993, decided to establish the United Nations Observer Mission in Liberia (UNOMIL) and approved the sending of an advance team of 30 military observers to participate in the work of the Joint Cease-fire Monitoring Committee. 13. Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 376. In an effort to prevent a dangerous deterioration of the situation regarding suspected Libyan involvement in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 and UTA flight 772, and to facilitate the implementation of Security Council resolutions 731 (1992) and 748 (1992), I have remained in almost constant contact over the past seven months with the parties to the dispute and the League of Arab States. I met the Foreign Minister of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya at Cairo in July 1993 and in New York in August in an attempt to resolve the dispute. I have on five occasions sent a personal envoy to Tripoli and intend to pursue every effort to facilitate a just settlement in accordance with the mandate given to me by the Security Council. 14. The Middle East 377. In the course of the past year, the plight of the Palestinian people living under occupation has not been alleviated. There has, moreover, been a dramatic worsening of the human rights situation in the occupied territories. In a particularly grave incident, Israel deported over 400 Palestinian civilians to southern Lebanon in December 1992. The Security Council, in its resolution 799 (1992), inter alia reaffirmed the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to all the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including Jerusalem, demanded that Israel ensure the safe and immediate return to the occupied territories of all those deported, and requested me to send a representative to the area and to report to the Council. Conscious of the possible effect of that event on the fragile process of Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, and with a view to finding a solution, I dispatched several missions to the area, led respectively by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and my Special Political Adviser. I had a number of meetings and telephone conversations with leaders in the region and representatives of interested Governments. Regrettably, those efforts were not successful and, in my report to the Security Council of 25 January 1993 (S/25149), I recommended that the Council should take whatever measures were required to ensure that its unanimous decision was respected. 378. I have also been seriously alarmed by the reports of the rapid worsening of the socio-economic situation in the occupied territories. As the Palestinian economy is weak and highly dependent on that of Israel, the livelihood of the Palestinian communities suffered further damage when Israel closed off the occupied territories in March 1993. I have appealed to the international community to provide greater economic assistance to the occupied territories. In this connection, I have also reminded the major donors of the critical financial situation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. 379. Because of the long-standing commitment of the United Nations to a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement in the Middle East, based on Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973), I welcomed the invitation extended in October 1992 by the co-sponsors of the Middle East peace process for the participation of the United Nations as a full extraregional participant in the multilateral working groups on environment, economic and regional development, water, refugees, arms control and regional security in the Middle East. Representatives of the United Nations attended and took an active part in the meetings of the working groups held in October-November 1992 in Paris, The Hague and Ottawa and in April-May 1993 in Geneva, Rome, Oslo, Washington and Tokyo. In November 1992, I appointed Chinmaya Gharekhan as my Special Representative at the multilateral talks. 380. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has continued to supervise the separation between the Israeli and Syrian forces, and the limitation of armaments and forces provided for in the disengagement agreement of 1974. With the cooperation of both sides, UNDOF has discharged its tasks effectively and its area of operation has been quiet. 381. The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), which is the oldest existing peace-keeping operation, has continued to assist UNDOF and UNIFIL in carrying out their tasks and has maintained its presence in Egypt. During the last year, the personnel of UNTSO has been reduced by 25 per cent. 15. Mozambique 382. The signing in Rome of the General Peace Agreement between the Government of Mozambique and the Resistęncia Nacional Moçambicana (RENAMO) in October 1992 brought renewed hope to this war-torn country. The United Nations was called upon to play a central role in the implementation of various aspects of the Agreement. The mandate of the United Nations Operation in Mozambique (ONUMOZ), since its establishment in December 1992, as coordinated by my Special Representative, Aldo Ajello, is to monitor cease-fire arrangements and the demobilization of up to 100,000 soldiers from both sides, to fulfil political and electoral functions, to conduct a massive humanitarian operation and to organize mine clearance. 383. As part of the peace-building efforts in Mozambique, a meeting of donors was held at Maputo on 8 and 9 June 1993, under the joint chairmanship of the Government of Italy and the United Nations. The meeting, which followed the Donors Conference on Mozambique held in Rome on 15 and 16 December 1992 on the basis of article VII of the General Peace Agreement, reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the consolidated humanitarian assistance programme in Mozambique. That programme reflects a shift from the previous concentration on emergency relief; by focusing on the reintegration needs of refugees and displaced persons, leading to reconstruction and future development, it signals the end of a protracted emergency phase and the beginning of a return to normalcy. The humanitarian assistance programme encompasses support for the repatriation process, the demobilization of armed units, emergency relief, restoration of essential services and balance-of-payments and budget support. The programme will require $559.6 million for the period from May 1993 to April 1994. The repatriation and resettlement of 1.5 million Mozambicans, now living as refugees in neighbouring countries, will be the largest such operation undertaken in Africa under United Nations auspices. 384. While donors have since announced new pledges totalling some $70 million, thereby increasing the total value of pledges to $520 million, against the programme's total requirements of $560 million, they have also expressed concern about delays related to the electoral process, demobilization and the work of certain commissions identified in the General Peace Agreement. The positive participation of all concerned parties in the implementation of the Agreement will contribute significantly to the strengthening of peace in Mozambique. 385. In June 1993 I reported to the Security Council that the delays which had impeded the rapid deployment of the ONUMOZ military component had been overcome and that, by the beginning of May 1993, the five infantry battalions provided for in my operational plan had been fully deployed along the Beira, Tete, Limpopo and Nacala corridors and along national highway N1. Since then, the deployment of all contingents has been completed. At the end of August 1993 the total strength of the formed units, including support elements, was over 6,000. 386. As envisaged, the operations of the contingents chiefly involve the conducting of motorized and air patrols along the corridors, establishing checkpoints and providing escorts for trains. United Nations troops have also escorted road convoys carrying relief food to populations in need in various regions, and transported equipment to assembly areas. In addition, they have carried out repair and reconnaissance of roads, both in populated locations and en route to assembly areas. 387. The process of assembly and demobilization of Government and RENAMO forces scheduled to begin in mid-November 1992 has been delayed for several reasons, particularly the insistence of RENAMO on receiving financial support as a political party before participating in the work of the commissions and its insistence that 65 per cent of ONUMOZ troops be deployed before the assembly process begins. 388. As at 25 August 1993, 303 of the authorized total number of 354 military observers had arrived in Mozambique. Assisted by troops from the contingents, the observers are now actively involved in the establishment and preparation of assembly areas, conducting inspections and investigations of cease-fire violation complaints. 389. In late August 1993 I was able to report an important development, namely, the arrival at Maputo, after several postponements, of Mr. Afonso Dhlakama, President of RENAMO, and the start on 21 August of a series of meetings between him and the President of Mozambique, Mr. Joaquim Chissano. It is widely expected that the meetings will continue until some form of agreement has been reached on major outstanding issues. The importance of this development cannot be overemphasized. Progress in many major areas of the peace process depends on the successful outcome of these discussions. 16. Republic of Moldova 390. After the signature of the disengagement agreement on 21 July 1992, and acting on a request from the President of the Republic of Moldova, I sent a second fact-finding mission to that country in late August 1992. The mission concluded that, despite the cessation of armed hostilities, prevailing conditions remained fragile. 391. A major stumbling-block continues to be the question of the withdrawal of the Fourteenth Russian Army from the left bank of the Dniester. In a letter dated 2 October 1992 to the Secretary-General, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova proposed the dispatch of United Nations observers, with the consent of the Russian Federation, to the negotiations between the two countries on the withdrawal of the Fourteenth Army. In my response of 5 January 1993, I offered to send a mission to meet the leaders of the Moldovan and Russian delegations to the negotiations and to discuss possible arrangements for the presence there of United Nations observers. 392. In view of the establishment in the Republic of Moldova of an eight-member mission of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe on 27 April 1993, an understanding has been reached with the Government that CSCE will take the leading role in the issue. 17. Rwanda 393. United Nations observers have been deployed to one side of a common border with the agreement of the two States involved, namely, Rwanda and Uganda. In my interim report to the Security Council on Rwanda, of 20 May 1993 (S/25810) following the mission of my representative, I proposed the establishment of a United Nations observer mission on the Ugandan side of the Rwanda-Uganda border. In recommending the deployment of United Nations observers, I noted that a decision to deploy observers to the border would highlight the international community's interest in peace and security in the area, could help to promote the negotiation process at Arusha and would encourage the parties actively to pursue their efforts for peace and national reconciliation in Rwanda. 394. The Security Council, in its resolution 846 (1993), taking note of the requests of the Governments of Rwanda and Uganda for the deployment of United Nations observers along their common border as a temporary confidence-building measure, decided to establish the United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (UNOMUR), with the task of verifying that no military assistance is provided across the border between the two countries. At the same time, the United Nations is providing emergency relief assistance to the 900,000 persons displaced by the conflict. A consolidated appeal for $78 million has been launched for this humanitarian programme. 395. The cease-fire agreement reached on 12 July 1992 was broken on 8 February 1993 but restored on 9 March. Two United Nations military experts were placed at the disposal of the Organization of African Unity, to provide it with technical assistance in the preparation of a submission to donors for the funding of an expanded Neutral Military Observer Group in Rwanda. That Group has been monitoring the cease-fire. The latest phase of the talks began in mid-March 1993 and has now been completed. A comprehensive peace agreement was signed at Arusha on 4 August 1993. The role of the United Republic of Tanzania, as facilitator in the negotiations, was important for their successful completion. 396. Taking into account the communications received from the President of Rwanda and the OAU Secretary-General and in pursuance of resolution 846 (1993), I have sent a reconnaissance mission to Rwanda to examine the possible function of the neutral international force called for by the Government of Rwanda and the Rwandese Patriotic Front and to evaluate the human and financial resources that would be needed to carry them out. The findings of the mission, which will also hold consultations with OAU and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, will assist me in making recommendations to the Security Council regarding the United Nations contribution to the implementation of the Peace Agreement. 18. Tajikistan 397. During the summer of 1992, the number of armed clashes between various groups increased dramatically and by late August and early September 1992 fighting raged across southern Tajikistan. Concerned that events might lead to a wider regional conflict, I dispatched, in consultation with the Governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, a fact-finding mission from 16 to 22 September 1992. It reported, inter alia, that the situation in Tajikistan was that of a civil war, and that since June 1992 more than 2,000 people had been killed and more than 200,000 had become refugees or displaced persons. 398. I consequently dispatched a goodwill mission to Tajikistan and four neighbouring countries, from 3 to 14 November 1992, to assist and support regional peacemaking efforts. The mission also carried out a preliminary assessment of humanitarian needs and its report formed the basis of a preliminary appeal for $20 million to support the humanitarian programmes of UNHCR, WFP and WHO. In the light of the mission's consultations with the various interlocutors in the region, I informed the Security Council on 21 December 1992 of my decision to establish a small, integrated United Nations unit at Dushanbe to monitor the situation on the ground and to provide liaison services. My decision was welcomed by the Government of Tajikistan. 399. Early in 1993, I appointed, for a period of three months, a Special Envoy to Tajikistan, Ismat Kittani, whose mandate was to obtain agreement on a cease-fire with appropriate international monitoring, begin negotiations for a political solution, and enlist the help of neighbouring countries and others concerned in achieving those objectives. That appointment was welcomed by the Security Council. 400. In May and June 1993, my Special Envoy visited the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and, a few weeks later, Saudi Arabia for talks with their leaders. During that initial mission he was not able to complete his contacts and ascertain the positions of all concerned parties in accordance with his mandate. On 16 August 1993, I submitted a report to the Security Council summarizing the Special Envoy's findings, and expressed my concern about the escalating crisis on the Afghan-Tajik border. In a statement made by its President on 23 August 1993, the Security Council welcomed my proposal to extend the mandate of my Special Envoy until 31 October 1993 and to extend, by three months, the tenure of United Nations officials currently in Tajikistan. 401. I have asked my Special Envoy to visit Kabul as soon as possible for discussions with government leaders regarding his mandate in Tajikistan and to ascertain the views and positions of the Tajik opposition leaders residing in Afghanistan. In addition, I requested him to undertake a second mission to Dushanbe and to visit other regional countries. Meanwhile, I have informed the Security Council of my concern about recent developments and my intention to monitor the situation closely. The Department of Humanitarian Affairs is carrying out an inter-agency re-evaluation of the humanitarian needs of Tajikistan. 19. Western Sahara 402. In April 1991, the Security Council decided, in resolution 690 (1991), to establish a United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). The resolution provided for a referendum for self-determination to be organized by the United Nations in cooperation with the Organization of African Unity. The mission will consist of civilian, security and military units functioning as an integrated operation. The civilian unit of MINURSO is expected to comprise approximately 275 international staff members, the security unit up to 300 police officers and the military unit approximately 1,700 military personnel, including observers and infantry and logistics battalions. Differences have arisen with respect to the criteria relating to voter eligibility. I have been in close contact with both parties, and I visited the area from 31 May to 4 June 1993, accompanied by my Special Representative, Sahabzada Yaqub-Khan, in order to urge the parties to accept a compromise solution with regard to the interpretation and application of those criteria. 403. Notwithstanding difficulties in the preparation and organization of direct talks between the parties and other problems, mostly of a procedural nature, the delegations of Morocco and the Frente Polisario met from 17 to 19 July at Laayoune, in the presence of my Special Representative as United Nations observer. The dialogue was held in a positive spirit, marked by restraint and mutual respect. It is my earnest hope that the talks will be resumed soon as a follow-up to the Laayoune initiative, and that the referendum will take place before the end of the year. 20. Zaire 404. With respect to the situation in Zaire, I transmitted to the President of the Security Council, on 7 May 1993, a letter dated 24 March 1993 from Etienne Tshisekedi, the Prime Minister elected by the Sovereign National Conference, requesting the United Nations to appoint observers to safeguard respect for human rights; to assist in the preparation, monitoring and supervision of truly free and democratic elections; and to dispatch an evaluation mission to Shaba with a view to the provision of humanitarian assistance for people displaced within their own country. Mr. Tshisekedi also requested the dispatch of a United Nations intervention force to Zaire to restore law and order, peace and internal security, to ensure the protection of people and property, and to avert the possibility of a civil war. I also informed the President of the Security Council that I had met at Brussels on 23 April 1993 Monseigneur Laurent Monsengwo, President of the High Council of the Republic of Zaire, to discuss the deteriorating situation and the institutional stalemate in that country, and the possibility of a role for the United Nations. 405. The humanitarian situation continues to be very serious, with the number of displaced persons reaching into the hundreds of thousands. Locally based United Nations and non-governmental organizations are doing their utmost to provide the necessary relief assistance. I decided to organize an inter-agency needs assessment mission, to obtain a first-hand appreciation of the humanitarian and related needs and to consult with all concerned on means of providing assistance to the affected population, in particular the displaced people. That mission did not take place because of reservations expressed by President Mobutu. 406. During the OAU summit meeting at Cairo in July 1993, I had the opportunity to hold extensive discussions with President Mobutu. I then appointed my Special Envoy for Zaire, Lakhdar Brahimi, to undertake a goodwill mission, having as its principal objective the exploration of ways and means for the United Nations to assist in finding a solution to the current political situation. I have been assured by President Mobutu that my Special Envoy will have his full cooperation and the freedom to travel to any part of the country, as well as to meet with the opposition parties. 407. My Special Envoy arrived in Zaire on 18 July. He met President Mobutu in Shaba and exchanged views with Prime Minister Faustin Birindwa and senior officials of his Government. He also met Etienne Tshisekedi, Monseigneur Monsengwo and leaders of the opposition parties. Mr. Brahimi was very well received by all his interlocutors and made every effort to encourage a dialogue among the parties, in order to put an end to the violence and facilitate national reconciliation. 408. After the return of Mr. Brahimi to New York at the beginning of August 1993, I sent an inter-agency mission to Zaire to assess urgent humanitarian requirements, particularly in regions of concentration of internally displaced persons, and to identify ways of addressing those needs effectively. Besides the Kinshasa area, the mission is planning to visit the provinces of Shaba, North Kivu and West and East Kasai, and is expected to complete its work within three weeks. In the interim, I alerted the United Nations organizations concerned, and the donor community, to the need for an increased effort to alleviate the plight of the affected populations, particularly in the provinces of Shaba and Kivu. E. Major comprehensive efforts 409. As the foregoing examples demonstrate, the range of responsibilities facing the new United Nations is not only vast but virtually open-ended, extending to almost every area of human activity. 410. To cope with this revolutionary and novel situation, the United Nations must address its challenges in the most coherent and comprehensive way possible. Governments and private individuals must also realize that crises such as those just discussed transcend traditional boundaries of theory and practice. Food, water, land-mines, disease and death, and democratization, human rights and development are inextricably intertwined. Efforts to deal with particular issues cannot succeed in the absence of a comprehensive vision of the whole. 411. Four current cases will illustrate the comprehensive and challenging situations in which the United Nations is engaged: Cambodia, El Salvador, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia. They resemble each other in the all-encompassing nature of the tasks they demand, but each involves distinct and different factors. 1. Cambodia 412. The successful conduct of the recent election in Cambodia represents an affirmation of the important contribution United Nations peace-keeping operations can make to resolving complicated situations even in the face of serious obstacles. The mandate of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), set out in the Paris Agreements, was one of the most complex and ambitious ever undertaken by a United Nations operation. It included aspects relating to human rights, the organization and conduct of free and fair general elections, military arrangements, civil administration, the maintenance of law and order, the repatriation and resettlement of the Cambodian refugees and displaced persons, and the rehabilitation of essential Cambodian infrastructures during the transitional period. At the same time it was planned as a peace-keeping operation in the time-honoured tradition, an operation based on the agreement and cooperation of the parties, relying on political authority and persuasion rather than on force. 413. When one of the four Cambodian parties that had signed the Agreements and undertaken a range of obligations, the Party of Democratic Kampuchea, refused to honour its commitments, UNTAC was faced with grave difficulties. Indeed, that party, after its early refusal to implement Phase II of the cease-fire and to demobilize its troops under UNTAC supervision, progressively withdrew from the peace process, absenting itself from meetings of the Supreme National Council. Despite my continued efforts and those of my Special Representative, Yasushi Akashi, and of the Co-Chairmen of the Paris Conference and other concerned Governments to engage it in a dialogue, it eventually refused to participate in the election. I resolved nevertheless to go forward in implementing all aspects of the mandate of UNTAC to the maximum extent possible. I was determined not to allow the non-cooperation of one party to negate the unprecedented and far-reaching international efforts to restore peace to Cambodia. 414. The Security Council consistently supported this course of action. While the cantonment of forces had to be suspended after some 55,000 of the approximately 200,000 troops belonging to the three factions cooperating in the peace process had been regrouped and cantoned, the 16,000-member military component of UNTAC redeployed itself to focus on providing security for voter registration and later for the election itself in all 21 provinces. With full deployment of its 21,000 military, police and civilian personnel achieved by mid-1992, UNTAC vigorously pursued its manifold tasks of promoting respect for human rights, contributing to the maintenance of law and order and exercising control and supervision of the activities of the existing administrative structures, especially in the five key areas of foreign affairs, national defence, finance, public security and information. An active education and information campaign was a vital aspect of those efforts. 415. The successful repatriation of more than 360,000 refugees and displaced persons by 31 March 1993, exactly a year after the process began and in spite of major logistic and climatic impediments, was a testimony to the organizational capacity of UNTAC and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which served as the lead agency within an integrated effort, and to the faith that the returning Cambodians had in a future in their homeland. 416. The Cambodian people at large repeatedly manifested their faith in the peace process and their courage and determination to build a stable future by first registering for and then massively voting in the election, which was held on schedule from 23 to 28 May 1993. Nearly 4.7 million people, or some 96 per cent of the estimated eligible population, registered to vote. A total of 4,267,192, representing nearly 90 per cent of the registered voters, cast their ballot. Despite concerns about disruption by the National Army of Democratic Kampuchea, and about earlier acts of intimidation attributed largely to another party, both the six-week election campaign, in which 20 political parties actively took part, and the polling itself, proved to be remarkably peaceful and free of violent incidents. The UNTAC electoral staff, who were joined by more than 50,000 Cambodian electoral workers and 1,000 international polling station officers, were moved by the enthusiasm, patience and buoyant spirit manifested by the Cambodian voters everywhere during the election. 417. On 10 June, after the verification and counting of the ballots had been completed, my Special Representative declared, with my authorization and on my behalf, that the election in Cambodia had been free and fair. The Security Council endorsed that determination on 15 June, and the results of the election have now been accepted by all the Cambodian parties. The newly elected Constituent Assembly held its inaugural meeting on 14 June to begin its task of drafting and adopting a new Constitution and establishing the new Government of Cambodia. 418. Since then, the four Cambodian political parties that won seats in the election have agreed to join in a joint interim administration, under the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Norodom Sihanouk, for the remainder of the transitional period until the creation of the new Government in accordance with the Paris Agreements. I welcomed and supported this step as contributing to stability, national reconciliation and a smooth transition to the future Government of Cambodia. 419. UNTAC will continue faithfully to fulfil its mandate for the remainder of the transitional period and will do its utmost to help the Cambodian people to consolidate their victory in this impressive feat of self-determination. I am convinced that the international community will not fail to continue to assist the people of Cambodia and their future Government in the arduous task of building a stable, peaceful and prosperous future. 420. More than 20,000 United Nations troops began leaving Cambodia in August 1993, ending one of the largest operations in the history of the Organization. On 27 August 1993 the Security Council, in its resolution 860 (1993), fixed the date of 15 November 1993 as the deadline for the withdrawal of the military component of UNTAC. 2. El Salvador 421. El Salvador is another Member State where the United Nations is engaged in an operation of considerable complexity. The Organization mediated a series of peace agreements between the Government and the Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) and then assumed responsibility for assisting and verifying their implementation. The United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador (ONUSAL), which was created for that purpose and is headed by my Special Representative Augusto Ramírez-Ocampo, comprises military observers, police officers, human rights experts and a variety of experts in other civilian disciplines. It will soon have added to it an Electoral Division to observe, at the request of the Government of El Salvador, the elections which are to be held in the spring of 1994 and which will mark the culmination of the peace process. 422. The multidisciplinary nature of ONUSAL reflects the complexity of the peace agreements, which provided, even before a cease-fire came into effect, for United Nations monitoring of respect for human rights by both sides. A Commission of three distinguished non-Salvadorians was appointed to establish the truth about certain grave acts of violence committed during more than 10 years of bitter civil war. There was to be a cease-fire; the purification and progressive reduction of the armed forces; and the demobilization of FMLN and its legalization as a political party. The existing public security bodies were to be monitored by the United Nations and a new national civil police formed. The judicial system was to be reformed, as was the electoral system. A variety of amendments were to be made to the Constitution in order to ensure, in particular, that the Army and other security forces were fully under civilian control and that the Army would not be involved in police functions, such as the preservation of internal order, except in exceptional circumstances. Reforms were to take place in the economic and social spheres. In particular, land was to be provided for ex-combatants from both sides as they demobilized and for persons who during the war had taken over and worked land owned by others. 423. It is to the credit of the Salvadorian people, in particular of the Government and FMLN, that it rapidly became clear that the peace process was irreversible. There have nevertheless been some set-backs in its implementation. The cease-fire was impeccably observed but there was an eight-month delay in the Government's implementation of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Commission set up to purify the armed forces. Most seriously, the discovery of a substantial FMLN arms cache in Nicaragua on 23 May 1993 revealed that, despite repeated protestations to the contrary, FMLN had failed to declare and destroy all its arms, ammunition and other war matériel. During the following three months FMLN revealed to ONUSAL further arms caches inside and outside El Salvador, the contents of which were destroyed. That serious violation of the agreements put some strain on the peace process; I trust that this chapter is now closed. 424. In recent months there have been delays in the formation and deployment of the new national civil police and a lack of progress in implementing the recommendations of the Truth Commission, which complemented the agreements and were intended to ensure that the conditions which permitted gross violations of human rights during the armed conflict would not recur. I firmly believe that implementation of those recommendations is necessary for national reconciliation. 425. There have also been delays in putting into effect the complicated provisions of the peace agreements relating to land. There is an inescapable moral obligation to fulfil promises made to demobilized combatants of both sides. 426. Like the delays in the formation of the national civil police, the delays in the land programme are due partly to lack of financial resources. My appeals for financial support from the international community have not so far produced all that is required. I believe that the Government has therefore an obligation to adjust its own expenditure priorities to ensure that critical elements in the peace process do not fail for want of finance; but it has to be acknowledged that this may prove difficult to reconcile with the economic reform programme which is a condition of continuing support for El Salvador on the part of the international financial institutions. 427. The case of El Salvador is a prime example of the need for a fully integrated approach by the United Nations system as a whole to the requirements of peace-building in countries emerging from long years of armed conflict. A cease-fire and a successful election are not enough to claim success; that is only assured when the necessary political, economic and social measures have been taken to eradicate the underlying causes of the original conflict. 3. Somalia 428. Despite the best efforts of the international community to help Somalia with traditional peace-keeping and humanitarian assistance, the situation had become intolerable by the end of 1992. Somalia remained without a central Government, Mogadishu was divided by rival militia, and throughout the country a dozen or more factions were active. 429. Widespread looting of aid supplies, robbery, armed banditry and general lawlessness compounded the situation. Large sums of cash and relief aid were being extorted from donor organizations and the lives of their personnel were being put in danger. The result was that, while relief supplies were ready and in the pipeline, they were prevented from reaching Somalis dying of starvation. According to some estimates, as many as 3,000 persons a day were dying of starvation in Somalia, while warehouses remained stocked. 430. On 24 November 1992, I reported to the Security Council that I did not exclude the possibility that it might become necessary to review the basic premises and principles of the United Nations effort in Somalia. I also reported that traditional peace-keeping efforts were not yielding the desired results and that it might become necessary to resort to measures of peace-enforcement. 431. On 3 December 1992, the Security Council, by its resolution 794 (1992), established a precedent in the history of the United Nations: it decided for the first time to intervene militarily for strictly humanitarian purposes. By that resolution the Council authorized the use of all necessary means to establish as soon as possible a secure environment for humanitarian relief operations in Somalia. Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter, the Council authorized the Secretary-General and the Member States concerned to make arrangements for the unified command and control of the forces involved, and called on all Member States that were in a position to do so to provide military forces and to make contributions in cash or in kind. The Council further decided that the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM I) should proceed at my discretion in the light of my assessment of conditions on the ground. 432. In the first phase of the operation, the Unified Task Force, spearheaded by the United States of America, began arriving on 9 December 1992 to establish a secure environment for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance. I urged the Task Force command to take steps to disarm the factions involved in the fighting. In the course of five difficult months, the Task Force made progress in opening up access to more and more remote areas and in providing protection for the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Disarmament remains a major problem, but United Nations and non-governmental organizations were able to expand their relief activities in various parts of the country. As a result, there was a dramatic fall in malnutrition levels and in the numbers of deaths from starvation. 433. On 3 March 1993, I submitted to the Security Council my recommendations for effecting the transition from the Unified Task Force to UNOSOM II. I indicated that, since the adoption of Council resolution 794 (1992), the Task Force had deployed approximately 37,000 troops, covering about 40 per cent of the country's territory. While the security situation had improved, incidents of violence continued to occur; I therefore concluded that UNOSOM II should be endowed with enforcement powers to enable it to establish a secure environment throughout Somalia. 434. On 26 March, in its resolution 814 (1993), the Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the Charter, set out the arrangements for the transition from the Unified Task Force to a new United Nations operation (UNOSOM II) under a changed mandate. Instead of a return to peace-keeping, as envisaged in its resolution 794 (1992), the Council chose to set up an unprecedented operation involving, as necessary, enforcement action by the United Nations itself under the authority of the Security Council. 435. In this second phase, UNOSOM II is called upon to continue the restoration of peace, stability and law and order, to assist in the re-establishment of the Somali police force, to provide security and assistance in the repatriation of refugees and the resettlement of displaced persons; to assist in the development of a programme for the removal of mines throughout Somalia, to monitor the arms embargo and to facilitate disarmament; and to assist in the provision of relief and in the economic rehabilitation of Somalia. The accelerated deployment of all UNOSOM II contingents to meet the full requirement of 28,000 personnel, all ranks, as well as equipment, was encouraged by the Security Council. Member States were urged to contribute, on an emergency basis, military support and transportation, including armoured personnel carriers, tanks and attack helicopters, to enable UNOSOM II to confront and deter armed attacks directed against it in carrying out its mandate. At 31 August 1993, the full target of 28,000 personnel had not been reached. 436. After the transfer of military command to UNOSOM II on 4 May 1993, some of the political movements staged armed attacks against personnel of the operation, as a result of which 49 soldiers have lost their lives. Four journalists have also been killed, and about 160 UNOSOM personnel have been wounded. 437. On 6 June 1993, the Security Council, by its resolution 837 (1993), reaffirmed the authority of the Secretary-General to take all necessary measures against those responsible for the armed attacks and for publicly inciting them, including their arrest and detention for prosecution, trial and punishment. The Council also demanded that all Somali parties, including movements and factions, comply fully with their commitments. It re-emphasized the crucial importance of disarming them and of neutralizing radio broadcasting systems that contributed to the violence. 438. In the course of the military action carried out by UNOSOM II forces since 12 June, great care has been taken to avoid civilian casualties. The President of the Security Council and I have both expressed deep regret and sorrow at the casualties which have occurred among innocent Somali civilians. 439. One major task that lies ahead for UNOSOM II and for the Somali people is the implementation of the agreements signed at Addis Ababa in January and March 1993, which include specific provisions regarding a cease-fire, disarmament, demobilization and national reconciliation, as well as requests for United Nations assistance in enforcing them. Those agreements are Somali agreements, and the responsibility for their successful implementation lies with the Somali people. Under Chapter VII authority, UNOSOM II and my Special Representative in Somalia, Admiral Jonathan Howe, will be there to assist and facilitate. 440. The importance of security both for the effective delivery of relief and for the transition to rehabilitation and reconstruction was fully recognized at the Third Coordination Meeting on Humanitarian Assistance for Somalia, held at Addis Ababa from 11 to 13 March 1993. Participants endorsed the United Nations relief and rehabilitation programme for 1993, which was developed in consultation with the Somalis. The meeting was attended by 190 Somalis, many of whom played an active role in the proceedings of the Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia which I convened at Addis Ababa on 15 March 1993. 441. At the Conference on National Reconciliation in Somalia, a two-year transitional period was set by the Somali participants for the re-establishment of a legitimate representative government. In choosing a target date of March 1995, Somalis have established for themselves a realistic time-frame in which to restore civil institutions, to pursue policies which will ensure economic recovery and to provide for their own security. It is my expectation that at the end of March 1995 the current phase in Somalia's history will have come to a successful conclusion and Somalia will have returned to normalcy. 442. The United Nations is undertaking parallel efforts to put together a three-year, medium-term reconstruction and development plan for Somalia. United Nations development organizations, including UNDP and the World Bank, have been actively involved in this exercise, and arrangements have been made to integrate the efforts of Somalis into this plan. I trust that those efforts will enable the Somalis to rebuild a civil society in their country. 4. The former Yugoslavia 443. The tragic situation in the former Yugoslavia continues to drain the attention, resources, and emotion of the international community. The Security Council is in session almost daily on this subject and, by the end of July 1993, had adopted 44 resolutions and issued 33 statements by the President on the various conflicts there. While the Council's wishes have been repeatedly flouted by the parties on the ground, I am encouraged by the fact that nations with vastly different interests have been able to respond collectively, again and again, with spontaneous and courageous initiatives, and that they have made valiant attempts to bring tranquillity to that troubled region. 444. Since August 1993, the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia has provided a permanent negotiating forum for seeking a political solution to all the problems of the former Yugoslavia. The Conference has a Steering Committee, now chaired by Lord Owen, representing the European Community, and Thorvald Stoltenberg, who in May replaced my Personal Envoy, Cyrus Vance, and who also serves as my Special Representative for the former Yugoslavia. I should like to place on record my gratitude for the tireless, selfless and dedicated efforts of Mr. Vance during the time that he served as my Personal Envoy. The Vance-Owen Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Vance Plan for Croatia, still represent a basis for further political solutions to the conflicts in those Member States. 445. Meanwhile the peace-keeping challenge both in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina has proved to be formidable. The original mandate of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) was extended three times at my suggestion, on 21 February, 31 March and 30 June 1993. UNPROFOR now has almost 25,000 personnel - about 14,000 in Croatia, nearly 10,000 in Bosnia, and slightly under 1,000 in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The experience of UNPROFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, to a lesser extent, in Croatia has raised serious questions about the wisdom of deploying blue helmets in situations where the parties are unable or unwilling to honour commitments they enter into and where the peace-keepers themselves become targets of attack. 446. In Croatia, the original United Nations peace plan remained unimplemented in crucial respects. Demilitarization of the United Nations Protected Areas never took place because of the resistance of local Serbian authorities, a resistance which was at times hardened by the threat, or fear, of attack by the Croatian Army. Consequently, the return of refugees and displaced persons, which can be effected only in secure circumstances, was repeatedly postponed, much to the dismay of all concerned. The mounting frustration of the Croatian Government with the lack of progress in recovering its sovereign territory led to three incursions against Serbs in sectors adjoining the area of deployment of UNPROFOR, and set the peace process back even further. At the time of writing the situation remains tense. 447. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the considerable peace-keeping and humanitarian effort of the international community has not brought an end to the brutal conflict, and the daily horrors inflicted on suffering civilians remain an affront to the world's conscience. 448. The most visible and successful contribution of the international community in the former Yugoslavia is in the humanitarian sphere. The United Nations relief effort, headed by UNHCR, includes valuable contributions by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, and other organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Organization for Migration and numerous non-governmental organizations. 449. In March, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that 3.8 million people were receiving assistance in the whole of the former Yugoslavia. In Bosnia and Herzegovina alone, some 2.28 million people, or half the original population, were benefiting from UNHCR assistance. UNPROFOR was able to facilitate the delivery of some 40,000 tons of humanitarian aid to over 800,000 besieged civilians, and to provide help for a huge number of displaced people in the area. Its presence was invaluable in helping to avert the mass starvation that many experts predicted would overtake Bosnia and Herzegovina during the past winter. The provision of relief has involved negotiation of access routes, coordination of airlifting supplies into Sarajevo, delivery of relief by road convoys, and the organization of air drops of relief supplies to areas under siege not accessible by road convoys. 450. The conditions for the international community's humanitarian efforts have steadily deteriorated, however. In Bosnia and Herzegovina there is currently widespread fighting. Relief operations are obstructed, sabotaged or diverted for military purposes, while the personnel of UNPROFOR, UNHCR and other organizations are increasingly targeted deliberately by members of the armed forces of all parties. UNPROFOR has now incurred 548 casualties, including 51 fatalities, and the casualty rate has recently increased significantly. Meanwhile, the support of the international community for humanitarian operations is dwindling and the sums actually received fall far short of requirements. 451. The role of the United Nations and other organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the means at their disposal are therefore under serious challenge. It is obviously of paramount importance to sustain the humanitarian effort for as long as necessary but there is a real risk that, if the present downward spiral continues, it will be impossible for the Security Council to achieve its political objectives in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The ultimate consequences would be further large population displacements, which could have serious destabilizing effects on neighbouring countries and the region as a whole, and a humanitarian catastrophe. 452. One of the most heinous aspects of the war in the former Yugoslavia is the massive and systematic violation of human rights, and the grave violations of humanitarian law, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights has submitted several detailed reports on the situation, with recommendations. In his report of March 1993, he paid special attention to mounting evidence of war crimes. 453. In August 1992, the Security Council reaffirmed the individual responsibility of those who committed or ordered the commission of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia. On 6 October 1992, the Council, in resolution 780 (1992), requested me to appoint a Commission of Experts to reach conclusions on the evidence of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and other violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. A five-member Commission was established, which has held seven sessions since November 1992, compiled a computerized database, provided two interim reports and conducted several field investigations. The Office of Legal Affairs has provided legal and administrative support services to the Commission. 454. The initial findings of the Commission led the Security Council to conclude that an international tribunal should be established for the prosecution of persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. By its resolution 808 (1993), the Council requested me to prepare a report on all aspects of this matter, including specific proposals for the establishment of such a tribunal. I submitted the report, including a draft Statute, on 3 May 1993, and it was approved in its entirety by the Security Council in resolution 827 (1993) of 25 May 1993. 455. The report and the Statute dealt with the constitutionally controversial question of the legal basis for the establishment of the Tribunal, the highly complex substantive legal issues regarding its competence, and the detailed procedural and organizational aspects of its work. The Statute is widely regarded as breaking new ground in the area of international criminal law. F. Post-conflict peace-building 456. In "An Agenda for Peace", I stressed that a process of post-conflict peace-building was essential for preventing the recurrence of armed conflict between States. Despite the voluminous and very useful analysis and commentary which has emerged in the months since that report appeared, however, little attention has been given to this concept. Peace-building encompasses more than the reconstruction of the peace after the cessation of hostilities. Peace-building must be linked to the comprehensive development efforts of the United Nations, political, economic, social and cultural. 457. The objective of peace-building is to involve hostile parties in mutually beneficial undertakings which not only contribute to economic and social development but also reinforce the confidence necessary for the creation of lasting peace. The reduction of hostile perceptions through educational exchanges and curriculum reform may also be essential to forestall the re-emergence of cultural and national tensions which could spark renewed hostilities. Such an approach can also play a vital role in building the peace in situations characterized by civil conflict. 458. Peace-building begins with practical measures to restore the civil society, reinvigorate its economy, repair the land and restore its productivity, repatriate and resettle displaced people and refugees; it also entails reducing the levels of arms in society, as a component of the volatility that induces violence. These steps, taken in the context of comprehensive humanitarian efforts, are all essential to set the stage for sustainable social, political and economic development. 1. Mine clearance 459. Of all the tasks involved in setting a nation on a new road to peace and prosperity, perhaps none has the immediate urgency of mine clearance. Tens of millions of mines have been left in areas of conflict around the world. Although mine-clearance efforts may last for decades, the restoration of transport infrastructures, resettlement areas and agricultural land are often early priorities, and no attempt to restore a sense of community and security can succeed without effective land-mine removal. 460. I have therefore launched a coordinated programme of action for mine clearance, involving the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, the Department of Peace-keeping Operations and other competent bodies. In Angola, Somalia and the former Yugoslavia, mine clearing is at present undertaken as part of peace-keeping and humanitarian efforts; a concerted drive to rid those countries of mine pollution must wait until the cessation of hostilities. In countries where major conflict has ceased or abated, mine clearance is under way and fighters are being disarmed, demobilized and aided in making the transition to productive peacetime work. 461. In Afghanistan, at least 10 million mines were left behind after the recent war, and are now seriously hindering the restoration of normal life in many parts of the country. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan is managing a mine-clearance programme involving the training and supervision of some 2,000 mine clearers fielded under the auspices of Afghan non-governmental organizations. If sufficient funding is made available by donors in a timely manner, it seems likely that the majority of the high priority cultivable land will be cleared by the end of 1997. 462. Mine clearance progresses well in Cambodia, where some 1,400 mine clearers are now working. There are perhaps 5 million mines spread all over the eastern districts, and clearance is slow, especially in the flood plains and paddy-fields. Following the successful use of mine detecting dogs in Afghanistan, a similar effort is under way in Cambodia, but it will be many years before this problem is finally resolved. It is therefore imperative that mine clearing should continue in Cambodia after the termination of UNTAC. 463. A plan has been prepared for the clearance of an estimated 2 million mines in Mozambique. Funds have been raised, partly from the ONUMOZ budget and partly through a trust fund administered by UNDP. A mine-clearance training facility is to be a major part of the programme, since there too mine clearance will be a long-term operation. 2. Electoral assistance 464. During the year, I established an Electoral Assistance Unit in the Department of Political Affairs. Since the Unit became operational, it has provided electoral assistance to 36 Member States, including four cases where the requests were received before 1992 (Angola, Cambodia, Mali and Western Sahara). Of those 36 cases, 2 relate to organization and conduct, 4 to verification, 26 to technical assistance, 9 to coordination and support and 7 to follow-up and report. Twelve of those cases were a combination of technical assistance and one of the other categories. Of the Member States requesting assistance, 26 were from Africa, 4 from Eastern Europe, 4 from Latin America and 1 from Asia. 465. Member States seek electoral assistance from the United Nations essentially in four circumstances: when a country is undergoing a transition to democracy; when it is seeking to build a peaceful alternative to conflict; following decolonization; and in self-determination elections. In Eritrea and Western Sahara for example, the United Nations has a long-term commitment to assisting in the design of the electoral and referendal systems. The case of Eritrea is an important illustration of this aspect of the Organization's activity. 466. Eritrea suffered more than 25 years of civil war, which ended in May 1991, and now benefits from overall political and security stability. In December 1991, the President of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia made the necessary arrangements with the Provisional Government of Eritrea to facilitate United Nations supervision of a referendum by which the people of Eritrea could determine their political future. On 19 May 1992, the Referendum Commission of Eritrea requested the United Nations to undertake the verification of the referendum. A technical team from the Electoral Assistance Unit visited Eritrea between 30 July and 8 August 1992 to gather information and submitted a report, on the basis of which I reported to the General Assembly, seeking a mandate to undertake a verification mission as requested. On 16 December 1992, the General Assembly, in its resolution 47/114, authorized the establishment of the United Nations Observer Mission to Verify the Referendum in Eritrea (UNOVER). 467. On 6 January 1993, I visited Eritrea to make a first-hand appraisal of the referendum process. UNOVER was inaugurated on 7 January 1993 and consisted of 21 international staff members supported by local personnel, headed by my Personal Representative, Samir Sanbar. They were joined by 85 observers during the referendum, which took place from 23 to 25 April 1993. The total budget of UNOVER was in the order of $2 million. 468. According to the Eritrean Referendum Commission, more than 98.5 per cent of the nearly 1.2 million registered voters voted in the referendum. Voting was overwhelmingly in favour of independence, which was declared on 27 April 1993. Soon after, Eritrea was admitted to membership in the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity. 469. In 1992, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs launched consolidated appeals for the region of the Horn of Africa. For Eritrea, the amount sought to meet emergency needs was $191 million, towards which the international community contributed resources in cash and in kind equivalent to $136 million. The results of any democratic electoral process must be supported by a fundamentally healthy society, economy and State if they are to be durable. The decades of warfare damaged or destroyed much of the physical infrastructure in Eritrea and, together with the drought in recent years, produced major relief needs; but the need is no longer for massive emergency relief but chiefly for major post-disaster rehabilitation and development. In July 1992, the United Nations and the Provisional Government of Eritrea launched a three-year programme for refugee reintegration and rehabilitation of resettlement areas, which requires $262 million and seeks to repatriate 500,000 Eritrean refugees from the Sudan. So far only $32.4 million has been pledged. 470. Not all the interventions of the United Nations in electoral observation have been large-scale missions such as UNAVEM II, UNTAC or UNOVER. Other approaches, involving the coordination and provision of logistic support to groups of international observers, have been effective. Malawi is a particularly interesting case. Coordination efforts began three months before the referendum date and included the deployment of observers during voter registration and the referendum campaign. The involvement of the United Nations was not limited to mere observation, however; on two occasions, I intervened to help secure the agreement of the parties to a change in the date of the elections and on the question of ballot boxes. The referendum confirmed the will of the Malawian people to move to a multi-party system, and the Government is now proceeding with the arrangements for parliamentary elections that will be fully supported by the United Nations. G. Disarmament 471. Since my report on new dimensions of arms regulation and disarmament in the post-cold-war era, significant events have taken place in the international security environment, requiring new responses and renewed efforts by the international community to deal with them. The momentum created by the many positive breakthroughs of the past year must now be maintained. 472. Most notable among such achievements is the recent decision of the Conference on Disarmament to give its Ad Hoc Committee on a Nuclear Test Ban a mandate to negotiate a treaty on a comprehensive nuclear test ban. That decision was made possible by the crucial commitment of nuclear-weapons States to a continuing moratorium on nuclear testing, and represents a culmination of the efforts of the international community to bring about progress in one of the most vital areas of international security. The year 1993 is the first in which no nuclear tests have been carried out since the moratoria of the 1960s. 473. To be viable, a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty should be universal, verifiable and of indefinite duration. Coupled with a renewed interest in the cessation of the production of fissionable material, a comprehensive nuclear test ban could help to halt the qualitative arms race and to prevent other countries from acquiring nuclear weapons. That would strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime, which has gained in significance as the number of nuclear weapons is being drastically reduced. Together, all these developments offer an incentive to the States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to extend that Treaty in 1995 unconditionally and indefinitely. 474. I am gratified by the fact that Belarus has recently ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and I very much hope that Kazakhstan and Ukraine will follow that example. I have expressed my deep concern about the intention of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to withdraw from the Treaty, and I am therefore encouraged by the fact that its Government has postponed a final decision on the matter and is engaged in negotiations with other interested parties, in particular the International Atomic Energy Agency. 475. Global non-proliferation efforts can also be facilitated by the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones. The progress made towards the full entry into force of the Treaty of Tlatelolco is most welcome; in this context, regional initiatives such as those taken by Argentina and Brazil are commendable. I am also gratified by the advances made in the implementation of the Declaration on the Denuclearization of Africa. I extend my strongest support to the ongoing efforts to finalize the text of the treaty to establish formally a nuclear-weapon-free zone in that region. 476. Another significant landmark in the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is the signature of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction by some 148 States. The smooth establishment of the Preparatory Commission for the Organization on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons augurs well for the effective and successful implementation of the Convention. Every effort must now be made to achieve universality at the earliest date. 477. The establishment of the Register of Conventional Arms is another event of historic significance. In the current situation, where emphasis is placed on building confidence through increased openness and transparency in military matters, the Register has a unique potential. I am pleased that all major arms suppliers and recipient States have provided information to the Register in its first year of operation. The Register has proved to be a success. 478. The importance of the Register becomes even clearer as we relate it to the question of excessive and destabilizing capabilities in conventional weapons. Although no substitute for actual arms reductions, the Register could help to make military behaviour more predictable and to reassure neighbouring States of each other's non-belligerent intentions. It could be particularly helpful in regions and subregions where there are potential hostilities, as it could lead to gradual reductions in armaments, while allowing the legitimate defence concerns of the parties involved to be considered. I would therefore strongly urge Member States to make use of the Register, together with other measures of confidence-building, particularly within regional and subregional frameworks. This is one way in which disarmament and arms control can contribute to the Organization's efforts in the fields of preventive diplomacy and peacemaking, and I have decided that this should become a priority task for the Office of Disarmament Affairs in the Department of Political Affairs. 479. An issue closely related to non-proliferation efforts, and to which I attach great importance, is that of the transfer of dual-purpose technology. While it is essential for the international community to prevent the misuse of technology for military purposes, it would be unfair to obstruct legitimate development opportunities. To ensure that all countries, particularly developing countries, will enjoy the peaceful uses of science and technology, I call on the international community to seek agreement on control arrangements that will be universal and non-discriminatory. H. The humanitarian imperative 1. Towards a coordinated United Nations response 480. The international community has asked that more be done to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to provide humanitarian assistance, through coordinated planning and implementation involving the Departments of Political Affairs, Peace-keeping Operations and Humanitarian Affairs, and that humanitarian concerns should be reflected in fact-finding missions and in peace-keeping operations. I have therefore taken steps to ensure that essential collaboration takes place among those Departments and between them and all other United Nations organizations and bodies. 481. Humanitarian emergencies, by causing the mass exodus of people, may constitute threats to international peace and security, or aggravate existing threats; conversely, disturbances of the peace may give rise to humanitarian crises. I stress again that it is essential that the United Nations should develop the ability to link humanitarian action and protection of human rights with peacemaking, peace-keeping and peace-building. In formulating the response to humanitarian emergencies, we cannot ignore the infrastructural requirements of the societies in need. Rehabilitation and reconstruction must accompany emergency relief. 482. Because relief personnel frequently operate in areas of conflict or danger even prior to the deployment of United Nations forces, their security is of particular concern. The murder of United Nations staff members working in humanitarian programmes in Afghanistan and the Sudan this past year is a tragic reminder of the fragile status of the United Nations humanitarian presence in turbulent areas (see figure 12). Every effort is being made to ensure the safety of United Nations personnel, and I am also concerned about the security of the personnel of humanitarian non-governmental organizations who are assisting in the implementation of United Nations relief programmes. It is imperative that Governments and other parties to conflict respect their obligations under international law to ensure the secure access of relief personnel and supplies to the victims of humanitarian emergencies. 483. The United Nations system has continued to adapt, refine and strengthen its mechanisms to address new challenges. United Nations and other organizations, including non-governmental organizations, have had to increase their emergency humanitarian relief substantially, straining resources available for reconstruction and development efforts. The three principal United Nations organizations engaged in humanitarian assistance, UNICEF, WFP and UNHCR, increased their relief outlays from $278 million in 1989 to $1,287 million during 1992. 484. At the last meeting of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, I discussed extensively with the heads of organizations, funds and programmes the issues of coordination and effectiveness of United Nations humanitarian action. While many issues remain to be resolved, I believe that the organizations of the United Nations system are moving in the right direction to establish mechanisms for greater coherence and increased rapidity in their response. One idea which I have encouraged relates to the immediate deployment, at the start of a crisis, of United Nations humanitarian emergency teams, which would draw on the capacities and expertise of the organizations of the system. 485. There is an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), composed of executive heads of organizations and chaired by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, which sets the direction on policy and coordination questions that shape the humanitarian response of the system. Arrangements have had to be made, however, to deal with issues that do not fall within the existing mandates of IASC member organizations, for example the issue of internally displaced persons, whose numbers are growing at an alarming rate. Operational responsibility for programmes benefiting the internally displaced have been determined on the basis of the capacities of the organizations in the field. UNHCR, UNDP, UNICEF and WFP have all been addressing the various aspects of this problem. 486. As an integral part of the new arrangements for the prompt coordination of the international humanitarian response, the $50 million Central Emergency Revolving Fund has proved to be a useful instrument. Since its inception, $54 million have been advanced from the Fund to finance urgent humanitarian action in Afghanistan, Georgia, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Mozambique, Somalia, Tajikistan and the former Yugoslavia; $20 million of the advances have been reimbursed, confirming the Fund's viability. I am at present considering how the scope and operations of the Fund could be broadened. Given the magnitude and range of emergency humanitarian crises, it may also be useful to consider expanding its resources. 487. Thus far in 1993, the new coordination arrangements under the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, have helped launch 17 inter-agency consolidated appeals for over $4 billion for relief and rehabilitation programmes in some 20 countries, involving assistance to more than 20 million affected people. Only a quarter of the resources appealed for were forthcoming, however, which has considerably hampered the effective implementation of humanitarian programmes. I have asked the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs to suggest ways in which international community support for those programmes could be further strengthened. 488. In northern Iraq, United Nations humanitarian efforts prevented another serious refugee crisis. For the Somalis, the spectre of starvation and disease has receded, and in Mozambique, too, the humanitarian situation seems hopeful. But in many other situations - in Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liberia and southern Sudan - human suffering continues to increase, and for many millions of refugees and displaced persons the situation remains desperate. 2. Disaster relief and mitigation 489. Apart from tragedies and crises caused by man's inhumanity to man, natural calamities, such as cyclones, drought, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, continue to take a heavy toll of human life and property. Indeed, the rapidly increasing rate of urbanization, and the steady increase in world population, mean that natural disasters are both more destructive and more costly than ever before. In 1991, natural disasters took more than 162,000 lives and caused damage to property estimated at $44 billion. Disaster mitigation, which should involve both preventive and preparedness measures, can effectively reduce the human toll and economic losses. Ensuring a more effective disaster management response system is yet one more challenge for the United Nations system and the international community. 490. From January 1992 to June 1993, the Department of Humanitarian Affairs coordinated the international response to more than 90 natural disasters, including earthquakes or floods in Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. Coordination mechanisms such as search and rescue teams and on-site coordination of relief activities have been strengthened. The ultimate objective is to increase national and local capacities to deal with disasters. Efforts to prevent and mitigate disasters must begin at the grass-roots level if they are to be effective in minimizing the harm caused by natural disasters. 491. I am convinced that improved disaster management, especially through enhanced preventive action, benefiting from scientific and technological advances, can help to reduce substantially the impact of natural disasters and alleviate the sufferings of the victims. Indeed, the Scientific and Technical Committee on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, consisting of scientists and specialists from related disciplines, recommended holding a conference where their expertise could be transferred to policy makers in disaster-prone countries. The General Assembly endorsed that recommendation at its forty-sixth session, and I am confident that the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction will mobilize the more active involvement of international and national organizations in prevention, preparedness and mitigation activities. I look forward to the participation of all Member States in that Conference. 3. Relief operations (a) The Sudan 492. The humanitarian situation caused by continuing conflict in southern Sudan is a matter of considerable concern. While much was done to ameliorate human suffering, the underlying problems remain, and require greater humanitarian efforts. 493. A series of high-level initiatives have been taken to broaden and accelerate the delivery of relief assistance to conflict-affected areas. During a visit to the Sudan in September 1992 by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, agreement was reached with the Government on the principle of access to all people in need of assistance, and on specific air and river corridors for relief deliveries. Following "proximity talks" between the Government and three factions of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement, conducted by the United Nations at Nairobi in December 1992, further agreements were reached on road, river and rail corridors, and on updated assessments of the location and condition of displaced populations. In January 1993, the United Nations sponsored talks between the Government and international non-governmental organizations which resulted in wide-ranging agreements designed to enhance the effectiveness of relief operations conducted by those organizations. 494. Despite various efforts, including those of Operation Lifeline Sudan, the humanitarian situation of the affected population remains precarious. I consequently appointed Vieri Traxler as Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs for the Sudan, to travel to the region to develop practical and verifiable measures to mitigate the human suffering in several parts of the country. The Government of the Sudan at first denied Mr. Traxler's mission access to the country but, after further contact, it has been accepted. (b) Kenya 495. Early in 1993, Kenya faced major humanitarian challenges. They included requirements for drought relief and drought recovery, such as seeds, tools and veterinary aid, and assistance for refugees in Kenya, primarily from Somalia. It was also necessary to promote stability on both sides of the borders with Ethiopia and Somalia, and to help create the conditions for the return of refugees from Kenya to those countries. The Department of Humanitarian Affairs took the lead in coordinating the preparation of a consolidated inter-agency appeal for Kenya for a total of $192 million. As at 31 July, the nine United Nations organizations requesting funds had received $74.5 million, or 39 per cent of the amount requested. 496. It is clear that Kenya will continue to require substantial humanitarian assistance throughout the remainder of 1993 and in 1994, and that a consolidated inter-agency appeal will be necessary for 1994. Current crop assessments indicate the likelihood of a third consecutive year of lower than normal harvests, primarily because of drought. UNHCR is preparing an appeal for the repatriation of refugees to Somalia from Kenya, a process which will extend well into 1994, as will the need for continued cross-border operations. Finally, special assistance efforts are now being considered to help Kenyans who have been internally displaced by violence in parts of the Rift Valley, Nyanza and Western provinces. (c) Ethiopia 497. There continue to be significant relief needs in Ethiopia, but the overall emphasis has moved to rehabilitation efforts. In the course of 1993, the United Nations concentrated largely on providing humanitarian assistance to about 5 million people, mainly victims of drought, former soldiers and their families, several hundred thousand refugees from Somalia, returnees, and persons internally displaced. These numbers include an unabated influx of Sudanese refugees, as well as Kenyan and Djiboutian refugees and 400,000 to 500,000 Ethiopians who have returned over the past three years but who still have complex relief needs. 498. An especially noteworthy feature of the case of Ethiopia is the cross-mandate approach, under which those in need are assisted by competent United Nations organizations, the Government and others in a unified programme, regardless of their status (for example, returning refugees or internally displaced persons); the Emergency Preparation and Planning Group plays an important coordination role. 499. The consolidated inter-agency appeal for Ethiopia, launched in January 1993, sought $299.9 million to support such efforts. As at 31 July, $109.7 million had been received in donor contributions, or 36.6 per cent of the funds requested. (d) Drought emergency in southern Africa 500. The drought emergency in southern Africa programme provides an example of the way in which the United Nations, in cooperation with Governments, regional organizations, international financial institutions and non-governmental organizations can meet the challenges of the humanitarian tasks that lie ahead. When 18 million lives were placed at risk by the worst drought to affect southern Africa in this century, that programme, a coordinated approach between the United Nations and a regional institution, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), was established as the cornerstone of a complex relief strategy involving assistance channelled through multilateral, bilateral and non-governmental organizations. Funding requirements amount to $858 million. 501. Tragedy was averted because the international community responded positively to the plight of southern Africa, and the Governments of the region made extraordinary efforts to mobilize large amounts of their own resources for food imports and the distribution of emergency aid. Although the unprecedented quantities of food aid they received placed a severe strain on the logistics capacity of individual countries, six of which are land-locked, the region demonstrated its capacity to deliver relief assistance to affected populations in a timely fashion. 502. The World Food Programme/SADC Logistics Advisory Centre was one of the collaborative mechanisms critical to the programme's success; it ensured well-coordinated utilization of ports and land and rail corridors. The Department of Humanitarian Affairs continues its collaboration with SADC to ensure that the emergency management capacity established under the programme is sustained. Of all the natural disasters affecting Africa, drought imposes the greatest toll in human suffering and economic costs. (e) Chernobyl 503. Seven years have passed since the accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. I visited Ukraine recently and was greatly moved to see the continuing consequences of that disaster in the daily life of the population. Some sections of the populations of Belarus and the Russian Federation have also been affected. 504. My Coordinator of International Cooperation for Chernobyl has also visited the three affected States, including the exclusion zone around the encased reactor. After extensive consultations, a new approach has been formulated for the activities of the United Nations system in response to the Chernobyl accident, involving mitigation of its consequences through the implementation of specific projects to address priority needs in the affected areas. To be effective and credible, however, such activities require adequate funding, and thus depend on an appropriate response from the international donor community. 4. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 505. The world's refugee population now stands at a staggering 19 million, and the number of internally displaced persons is 25 million. Such is the magnitude of the problem the world faces in 1993. This is a particularly difficult challenge, and the human and material resources of the United Nations system have been stretched to the limit. 506. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is carrying out a three-track strategy of prevention, preparedness and solutions. While responding to refugee situations in countries of asylum, the Office also turned its attention to countries of origin, seeking to prevent and contain refugee movements. UNHCR provided assistance not only to refugees, returnees and displaced persons but also, in the case of the former Yugoslavia, to people affected by conflict or under a direct threat of expulsion, or subjected to the form of persecution now known as "ethnic cleansing". Invoking the human right to remain in one's country of origin, the Office of the High Commissioner sought to ensure that people were not forced to flee from their homes in the first place. 507. One of the highest priorities of UNHCR is to secure the protection of vulnerable groups in areas where peace-keeping operations have brought about a halt in military hostilities. UNHCR has given special attention to sexual violence against refugee women. Among the most odious practices to re-emerge on a large scale in recent conflicts is the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence as an instrument of systematic persecution and intimidation. UNHCR is attempting to achieve international consensus on concrete measures to prevent such practices. 508. UNHCR has also focused on refugee children. Persistent protection problems include military recruitment, detention, irregular adoption, denial of the right to education, and the situation of unaccompanied minors in the care of families not their own. The guidelines and considerations contained in the pamphlet entitled Evacuation of Children from Conflict Areas, published jointly by UNHCR and UNICEF in December 1992, illustrate the great potential for inter-agency cooperation in securing the protection of children's rights in the most difficult situations. 509. Among the most notable refugee problems of the past year, the situation in Afghanistan stands out. The end of the occupation by forces of the former Soviet Union, and the return of large parts of the country to relative stability, have made possible the return of large numbers of refugees from safe havens in Pakistan and elsewhere. Although continuing hostilities in parts of the country have deterred some refugees from returning, it is estimated that some 1.7 million Afghans have re-entered Afghanistan in the course of the past 18 months. The provision of assistance to those returnees is an important element in the emergency programmes being coordinated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to Afghanistan. FIGURE 8 Peace-keeping operations as at 31 July 1993 FIGURE 9 Civilian and military personnel in peace-keeping operations as at 30 June 1993 FIGURE 10 Internationally and locally recruited staff in peace-keeping missions FIGURE 11 Total fatalities in peace-keeping operations since 1987 FIGURE 12 Civilian fatalities in peace-keeping missions since 1989 "... promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion ..." Charter of the United Nations, Article 1, paragraph 3 V. CONCLUSION: STRENGTHENING THE HUMAN FOUNDATION 510. This report has addressed an immense array of practical and urgent programmes and measures designed to carry forward the purposes and principles of the Charter. Underlying these practical efforts are broader endeavours which warrant our commitment over the long term so that we may construct a more enduringly just and advancing global society. 511. A year ago, I stated that a new opportunity had presented itself, that fulfilment of the Charter's original promise was once again achievable. That opportunity has been grasped. Responsibilities have been heaped upon the United Nations. The new activism has made it clear, however, that new levels of political will and intellectual creativity must be attained if wider engagement is to produce enduring achievement. 512. The events of the past 12 months should impress upon us the need for a new realism. The United Nations, by undertaking a range of problems as wide as the globe itself, must be expected to achieve successes but also to experience failure. The failures cannot be put to one side; they require continuing commitment. And successes cannot be regarded as permanent; every positive outcome is likely to be a starting-point for further effort. In a spirit of realism and new possibility, a synthesis of heretofore opposing concepts is conceivable: the United Nations as the instrument of the body of Member States, and the United Nations as more than the sum of its parts. 513. Only international action that emerges from the crucible of debate and decision in the General Assembly, the Security Council and the other organs of the United Nations carries with it the full authority of the world community. The United Nations is now understood to be humanity's best hope in the pursuit of peace, development and human rights. 514. Dedicated to the integrity and development of each individual, drawing legitimacy from all peoples, expressing the consensus of States, the United Nations Organization calls forth, through its universality and dedication to life's basic tasks, a greater potential than humanity has ever before conceived possible. -----