Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON-Canada Electronic Newsletter #3

« Return to UNAC 3rd Newsletter Index

Notes from the UN

International Year for the Eradication of Poverty

One only has to stand in front of UNDP's Poverty Clock for a few moments to understand why 1996 has been declared the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. The Poverty Clock, located in the Visitor's Lobby of the UN General Assembly building as well as at UNDP's WWW site (http://www.undp.org/), keeps track of the number of people living on less than a dollar a day around the world. Between January 17, 1996, the day UNDP launched the clock, and early March, almost 3.25 million people have joined the roughly 1.3 billion people already living in absolute poverty. With the numbers increasing at a rate of 47 per minute, over 24.7 million more people will be living in absolute poverty at the end of the International Year than when it began. Further information on Canadian activities related to the International Year can be obtained from:

The National Anti-Poverty Organization,
256 King Edward Street, Suite 316,
Ottawa, ON, K1N 7M1;
tel: (613) 789-0096;
fax: (613) 789-0141,

or

Oxfam Canada,
294 Albert Street, Suite 300,
Ottawa, ON, K1P 6E6;
tel: (613) 237-5236;
fax: (613) 237-0524.

UN Financial Crisis Continues

With unpaid assessments now exceeding $3.3 billion (US), UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali warned in early February that the Organization is on the brink of insolvency. As a partial solution to the problem of unpaid assessments, the Secretary-General proposed that no single member state should pay more than 15 or 20 per cent of the total UN regular budget. This proposal was aimed at the United States, whose dues are assessed at 25 per cent of the UN regular budget, but which owes more in unpaid assessments than any other member state - over $1.25 billion (US). Speaking before the open-ended working group on the UN’s financial situation, however, Canada's UN Ambassador warned against allowing the current financial crisis to determine the scale of assessments. Ambassador Robert Fowler argued that the 25 per cent ceiling “confers a substantial benefit on the largest and wealthiest member state without achieving the political objective claimed for it; that of limiting the Organization’s reliance on a single large contributor.” On the other hand, he argued, requiring the smallest member states to pay a minimum of 0.01 per cent of the budget imposed a substantial and often excessive burden on them. Rather than imposing ceiling and floor rates, Fowler suggested the fundamental principle in applying assessments should be the capacity, not the willingness, to pay.

Security Council Shuffle

Five new members - South Korea, Chile, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau and Poland - began two-year terms on the Security Council on January 1. The new non-permanent members replace Oman, Rwanda, Argentina, the Czech Republic and Nigeria on the Council, and join Botswana, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia, and Italy, who have just completed the first year of their terms. The 15-member Council is rounded out by the Permanent Five - the United States, Russia, Britain, China and France.

Some Sources for Information Resources for Upcoming International Days
Given fiscal constraints within the UN system, the UN itself cannot provide extensive materials for the various days on the international calendar. However, there are contact points within Canada that can provide resources - either directly tied to the Day or to the relevant issues.

21 March - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Canadian Heritage has produced an information package, posters, buttons, etc. Contact them at 1-800-279-2544.

22 March - World Day for Water - Contact Watercan at (613) 230-5182 (Helen Fyche) for information on a pilot project in Ottawa and for possible resources from previous years.