Racism, Rights Violations, Crime Confront Century's Start.

Organized crime, refugees, women's issues, racism and human rights are all taken up by the General Assembly's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), which has seen an enormous and growing workload. This year was no exception. At the Committee recommendation, the Assembly adopted 76 resolutions and decisions, 45 on human rights issues alone. The highlights include endorsement of a five-year review of the Beijing Women's Conference in June 2000, a World Conference against Racism in South Africa in 2001, and a new Convention on Transnational Organized Crime, to be finalized in 2000. The Committee also had an intense discussion on the death penalty. Some developing nations, opposing a moratorium as called for in a resolution sponsored by the European Union, said capital punishment was an issue of crime prevention and criminal justice, rather than human rights. The draft resolution was withdrawn due to a lack of support.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson set the tone for discussion by calling for a strengthened UN capacity to deal with human rights abuses. Stressing that "information is not in short supply; it is action that is wanting", she proposed an international mechanism to prevent massive human rights violations. She emphasized the need to improve the human rights treaty system which, she said, was "handicapped by being under-funded", and she called for stronger action to protect human rights activists in line with the Human Rights Defenders Declaration adopted by the Assembly last year.

Ms. Robinson also stressed the need to promote the right to development and widen the debate by factoring human rights concerns into economic policy-making. Regarding children's rights, she appealed for rapid conclusion of the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which would raise the age of military recruitment to 18. She also called on countries to stop exporting arms to countries that use child soldiers and, finally, she urged a stronger partnership between the United Nations and the non-governmental sector. "As the Millennium Assembly approaches, we must develop strong and mutually reinforcing relationships with the organs of civil society, to better hear the voice of 'We the Peoples of the United Nations'."

The debate on the right to development was more polarized than in 1998, with a number of nations joining the United States, which last year had cast the sole negative vote against the resolution. The overall text was adopted by 119 to 10 (Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Sweden, United States), with 38 abstentions.

In explanation of vote, the representative of Finland, speaking for the European Union, said he was unable to support the consensus on the resolution because "the sponsors decided to include a number of new elements that are not directly part of the subject matter under consideration". These included the negative impact of sanctions, national sovereignty, the broadened participation of developing countries in global economic decision-making, conditionality and human rights.

Another resolution, on globalization and its impact on human rights, emphasized that narrowing the gap between rich and poor, both within and between countries, should be an explicit global goal. By the resolution, adopted by a vote of 99 to 2 (United States, Togo), the Assembly affirmed the importance of establishing an open, accountable, development-oriented and non-discriminatory global system of economic relations. The Secretary-General was asked to prepare a report on the impact of globalization on human rights for the Millenmum Assembly. Although most industrialized countries voted against the report, it was retained with support from developing countries.

In another action, which enjoyed near universal support, the Assembly agreed to strengthen the UN role in elections and the promotion of democracy. It also adopted resolutions on the human rights situations in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Myanmar, Rwanda and the Sudan.

On children's rights, the Assembly urged Governments to institute legal reforms to ensure the rights of girls, enact and enforce laws ensuring that marriage is entered into freely without coercion, and take special measures to protect girls in situations of armed conflict. Governments were also urged to formulate comprehensive national plans to eliminate violence against women and girls. In another action, the Assembly strongly supported the elaboration of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on eradicating the sale of children and their sexual exploitation, and called on Governments to criminalize and penalize all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse of children. Also, the Assembly urged the UN system to intensify efforts to protect children affected by war and called on Governments to take urgent measures to prevent street children from being killed.

With international crime increasing, the Assembly voted unanimously to finalize in 2000 the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which an Ad Hoc Committee began working on in January 1999. Three protocols to the Convention will address trafficking in persons, illicit firearms and trafficking in migrants. The level of international support for the initiative was witnessed in the number of nations that sponsored the resolution--a total of 155. Measures against corruption linked to organized crime will also be incorporated into the Convention. The Millennium Assembly is scheduled to adopt the Convention and protocols, after which there will be a signing conference in Palermo, Italy by the end of the year. The Assembly also requested the Ad Hoc Committee to consider elaborating an instrument on illicit explosives.

Regarding the World Conference on Racism, to be held m South Africa in 2001, the Assembly decided that the meeting should devise practical measures to fight racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. High Commissioner Mary Robinson will head the Conference, and the Commission on Human Rights will act as the Preparatory Committee, with the first preparatory meeting to take place in May 2000 and the second in 2001, both in Geneva. Regional meetings will take place throughout the world, and a trust fund has been established to help finance the Conference. To involve civil society, Ms. Robinson has suggested that human rights organizations and national institutions examine "what has been achieved and what still needs to be done". The year 2001 has been proclaimed the International Year against Racism, to draw world attention to the Conference and its goals. Seven goodwill ambassadors will help publicize the Conference: Nobel Prize laureates for literature Wole Soyinka of Nigeria and Seamus Heany of Ireland; Panamanian actor and musician Ruben Blades; Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun; Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; former Icelandic Pre sident Vigdis Finnbogadottir and children's rights defender Marian Wright Edelman of the United States.

The Assembly expressed deep concern at the plight of refugee children separated from their families and called on the United Nations system to mobilize assistance for them in the areas of relief; education, health and psychological rehabilitation. It emphasized the urgent need for their early identification and for timely, detailed and accurate information on their numbers and whereabouts. It also called on the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other UN bodies to pursue policies preventing separation of refugee families, and condemned all acts of exploitation of unaccompanied refugee children, including their use as soldiers or human shields.

The Assembly also urged States and other actors to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers and asked the international community to contribute more to help African refugees. It called for international solidarity and burden-sharing with countries of asylum and for efforts to widen the donor base of UNHCR. The Assembly also called on Governments to promote voluntary repatriation by furthering reconciliation and long-term development, in cooperation with UNHCR and development agencies.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata told delegates that refugee issues could no longer be discussed without reference to security--the security of refugees, States and humanitarian staff. All were jeopardized and it was imperative to devise remedial measures. She stressed the need for creative thinking to tackle the ongoing problems of staff Security, post-conflict recovery and the transition from humanitarian to development aid, and the reconciliation of divided communities. "In a world in which a majority of refugees and displaced people are victims of communal conflicts, and in which refugees usually go back home to extremely polarized societies, a systematic and professional approach to reconciliation-- devising concrete coexistence projects-may well be one of the directions we must pursue to prevent and resolve refugee flows," she said. "I intend to work very seriously in this direction."

In other actions, the Assembly urged Governments to submit proposals on establishing a permanent forum for indigenous people within the United Nations system. It also called for improved communications between the UN system and youth groups, and the inclusion of youth representatives in delegations to the General Assembly. It also urged Governments to cooperate with the UN Statistical Division in developing global statistics and indicators on disability. In another move, the Assembly urged Governments to set firm targets and timetables to eradicate illiteracy.