Subject: [fem-women2000 522] Women's GlobalNet 156: 2 NGO/UN Bulletins
From: iwtc <iwtc@iwtc.org>
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2000 08:11:01 -0700
Seq: 522
IWTC Women's GlobalNet #156 Activities and Initiatives of Women Worldwide By Anne S. Walker September 25, 2000 TWO NGO ELECTRONIC BULLETINS THAT GIVE UPDATES ON UNITED NATIONS ACTIVITIES This edition of IWTC Women痴 GlobalNet features two NGO electronic bulletins regularly received here at IWTC. There is a selection from each bulletin so that you will get a feel for the type of information available. If you would like to continue receiving them, please see the contact information at the end of each bulletin. >From time to time, IWTC Women痴 GlobalNet will be featuring NGO electronic bulletins and publications so that you will know what is out there in the field of development communications, and where you can find the information you need. A. UN UPDATE United Nations Association of the USA -UNA-USA By Jonathan Cohen 1. UN staff worldwide demand better protection of aid workers 21 September -- Thousands of United Nations personnel gathered today in cities, towns and villages around the world to demand better protection for aid workers following the recent murders of four staff members of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In New York, hundreds of staff members took part in a silent march in front of UN Headquarters to honour slain aid workers and encourage Member States to take effective measures to improve staff safety. Addressing the marchers after the protest, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that despite the risks, UN staff must "become even more determined to continue our work, to help the needy, to get the message out to these families and others that their loved ones did not die in vain." He added that "there are millions out there who need our help, and we cannot let them down." The Secretary-General said that he and other top UN officials had been shocked by the attacks against UN staff who had given their lives in the cause of peace. "We need to carry out our work but we need to be careful," he said, adding, "we need to press governments to help protect us." Staff members march at UN Headquarters In Geneva, over 1,000 people marched to a plaza near UNHCR Headquarters, where they heard High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata call for concrete measures from UN Member States to strengthen staff security. "The international community must listen," she told the crowd. "I have appealed many times to States, particularly those with the means, to fully and forcefully take on their duty to safeguard the lives of all aid workers." Ms. Ogata said her agency was urgently re-assessing the security benchmarks that determine when to suspend its operations and when to evacuate staff. Also in Geneva today, a memorial service was held for Mensah Kpognon, a veteran UNHCR staff member who was murdered early Sunday in Guinea. Another aid worker, Sapeu Laurence Djeya, was abducted in that attack, and still remains missing. Vladimir Petrovsky, Director General of the UN Office in Geneva, delivered a message on behalf of the Secretary-General. He said words failed to express the outrage at the "senseless violence" against Mr. Kpognon, as well as the anxiety for the safe release of Ms. Djeya. 2. Global Vaccine Fund Commits $150 Million in Vaccines and Funding Over Five Years to 13 Developing Countries Initial effort will reach four million children, save more than 100,000 lives per year; next disbursements in November GENEVA, 20 September - The Global Fund for Children's Vaccines will give more than US$150 million worth of vaccines and funding over five years to improve immunization programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Thirteen countries will receive the first awards - Cambodia, Ce d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guyana, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Tanzania. As a result, these countries will be able to immunize four million children against hepatitis B by the end of 2001, and more than 600,000 children who would not otherwise have received any Immunizations will now be protected. This represents a 10% increase in basic immunization coverage. According to estimates, more than 100,000 lives will be saved every year due to these initial grants. "Never before have we been able to provide this level of assistance directly to countries in such a short time. That is important because immunization is one of our most cost-effective public health interventions. Vaccines clearly save lives and it is unacceptable that 30 million children today are not fully vaccinated", said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, chair of the board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), a coalition of public and private Institutions. "The Global Fund is one of a handful of financial tools being used to help reverse declining immunization rates and to speed introduction of new and under-used vaccines in the world's poorest countries." The Global Fund award process is designed to efficiently channel resources to developing country health systems. Approximately 98% of current Global Fund resources will go directly to national immunization programs. Thirtymore countries are expected to submit proposals to the Global Fund for thenext review in October; subsequent reviews have been scheduled throughout2001 And early 2002. The intention is to provide some form of support toall 74 eligible countries - those with income of less than $1,000 GNP percapita - over the next two years. The Global Fund was launched earlier this year with an initial contribution of $750 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To date it has secured nearly $200 million in additional commitments >from Norway, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Other governments, including the Netherlands and Canada, have also expressed interest in contributing to the Global Fund. For more information on the Global Fund and GAVI, please visit www.vaccinealliance.org To receive this bulletin, contact: Jonathan Cohen United Nations Association of the USA 801 Second Avenue, 2nd Fl. New York, NY 10017-4706 212-907-1300, ext. 325 212-682-9185 (fax) jcohen@unausa.org www.unausa.org B. ICC UPDATE CICC Secretariat, New York, NY. 21 September 2000 **4 RATIFICATIONS & 12 SIGNATURES during the MILLENNIUM SUMMIT** "We must strive to end the culture of impunity - which is why the creation of the International Criminal Court." Kofi Annan, We the peoples: the role of the United Nations in the XXI century. **RUSSIA SIGNS during the GA GENERAL DEBATE** What is the Coalition? The Coalition is a network of over one thousand civil society organizations from around the world, working together towards a common goal: the establishment of an International Criminal Court. The Coalition has a number of national and regional networks in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America. What is the International Criminal Court? The International Criminal Court will be a permanent court that will investigate and bring to justice individuals who commit the most serious violations of international humanitarian law, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and once defined, aggression. Unlike the International Court of Justice in The Hague, whose jurisdiction is restricted to States, the ICC will have the capacity to indict individuals. The ICC will be created on the basis of the Rome Statute, a treaty adopted on July 17, 1998 in Rome at the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries. When will the ICC be created? The International Criminal Court will be established when sixty states have both signed and ratified the Rome Statute. As of now, 112 nations have signed the Statute, and 20 have ratified. The Coalition and like-minded governments are seeking to achieve entry into force as quickly as reasonably possible, a goal which cannot be realized without the support of civil society and governments all over the world. RATIFICATIONS CHART 1999 Senegal - 2 Feb Trinidad and Tobago - 6 Apr San Marino - 13 May Italy - 26 Jul Fiji - 29 November Ghana - 20 December 2000 Norway - 16 February Belize - 5 April Tajikistan - 5 May Iceland - 25 May Venezuela - 7 June France - 9 June Belgium - 28 June Canada - 7 July Mali 16 August Lesotho - 6 September New Zealand - 7 September Luxembourg - 8 September Botswana - 8 September Sierra Leone - 15 September To receive this bulletin, contact: Tunga Ganbold, Information Services NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court 777 UN Plaza 12th Floor New York New York 10017, USA Telephone +1 212 687 2176 Faxsimile +1 212 599 1332 Email cicc4@iccnow.org Web http://www.iccnow.org =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= IWTC Women's GlobalNet is a production of: International Women's Tribune Centre 777 United Nations Plaza 3rd Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: (1-212) 687-8633 Fax: (1-212) 661-2704 Email: <iwtc@iwtc.org> You can subscribe to this list at any time by sending a blank message to iwtc-womensglobalnet-subscribe@igc.topica.com You can unsubscribe to this list at any time by sending a blank message to iwtc-womensglobalnet-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com WOMEN, INK. For quality, cutting-edge publications on women and development by, for and about women worldwide, see Women, Ink's catalogue at our web site: <http://www.womenink.org>. Or contact Women, Ink. at 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: Yasna Uberoi (1-212) 687-8633 ext 212 or Mary Wong (1-212) 687-8633 ext 204. Fax: (1-212) 661-2704. E-mail: <wink@womenink.org> Women, Ink. is a project of IWTC ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics _________________________________________________________________________ fem-Women2000@jca.apc.org for Women 2000, UN Special Session on Beijing+5 Searcheable Archive http://www.jca.apc.org/fem/news/women2000/index.shtml visit fem-net HomePage for other mailing lists http://www.jca.apc.org/fem